Out of Time
by starlily11
Summary: One late fall evening, Serena and her mother are in a terrible accident. Somehow, Serena escaped without a scratch. Slowly, everything Serena thinks she knows is called into question, and her destiny is now uncertain. Time is running out, and sooner or later, she must choose her destiny, for better or worse.
1. Prologue: The First Shift

**Out of Time**

**AN:** …and the votes are in! The time-traveling idea wins.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sailor Moon….I'm just playing in Naoko Takeuchi's sandbox.

**Prologue: The First Shift**

It was early evening, and the light of day was just beginning to yield to the shadows of night. Fall was giving way to winter, and the leaves had just begun to turn red. In the city of Chicago, Illinois, the sky was gold and clear. The city was still alive and bustling, and traffic was an utter nightmare. In one particular car, a violet haired woman screamed, "Mister, GET YOUR THUMB OUT OF YOUR ASS AND _DRIVE!_" The blonde teenager in the back snickered softly, and between giggles, managed to say; "Wow, Mom. Talk about road rage! You're almost as bad as Amara."

Ilene Tsukino flashed a glare at her daughter and snapped, "Well, this idiot in front of me is driving twenty miles under the speed limit!"

The blonde girl dared to twit her mother, and replied with mock prim-ness, "I do hope you don't talk like this in front of Sammy; you'd be setting a terrible example for him."

Ilene let out a snort of laughter, and sighed. "I suppose I deserved that," she admitted, smiling affectionately at her only daughter. "I'm sorry, Serena."

"It's cool, Mom. It's just that my friends think you're so sweet and nice; it's always like; 'Serena, your mom is so nice. She never has anything bad to say about anyone.' Man, if they could hear you now…" the blonde burst out laughing again.

"What do you say we turn on the radio? Maybe that will give me something to do besides yell at the idiots that are on the road tonight."

"Sure," Serena replied. "Just don't turn Justin Bieber on."

"Okay, honey." Ilene turned on a country music station, and Serena made no objection, so Toby Keith came blasting out of the speakers. They stopped at a red light, and Serena looked out the window, just as a pickup truck came barreling through a stop light to the left.

"MOM!" Serena screamed. The truck was coming straight at them, at such a speed that one needed only the most basic knowledge of physics to see the danger. Serena turned to her mother in terror. Ilene looked back, and whispered, "I love you, Serena. Close your eyes." The blonde obeyed, bracing herself for the pain that she was certain to feel. She heard the sickening _thud_ of metal giving way to an even larger projectile, the momentum creating even more damage. She felt a sharp pain on her left cheek, and then, a pulling sensation in her abdominal area.

The next thing she noticed was the unusual silence. A burst of cold air flashed across her injured cheek, whispering through her hair in the same moment. Why was it so cold? Her eyes flew open. "What…?" she whispered, gazing about her in confusion and no small amount of fear. Long gone was the street where she and her mother had been. Trees surrounded her, and there was no sign of another soul to be found.

"Where am I?" she whimpered.


	2. Chapter I: Walking Through Time

**Out of Time**

**Chapter One: Walking Through Time**

**AN: **Oops…I just remembered that I didn't put a disclaimer up last chapter…yikes. So, yeah…I don't own Sailor Moon or 'The Time Traveler's Wife'. They each belong to their respective creators, etc…

**Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Early Evening, about Two Weeks Later**

Serena looked down sadly at her mother's inert form. Once again, she wished she could understand exactly what had happened two weeks ago, in those moments before and after the accident. She knew she ought to ask Trista, but she was too afraid that it would turn out that she was utterly insane. Either way, whatever had happened had probably saved her life, but it hadn't saved her mother. The blonde pushed back the tears that welled up in her eyes. 'At least she's still alive,' the blonde reminded herself.

That was true; Ilene Tsukino had not died that night. However, she was in a coma. What had the doctor said about that? The blonde thought back, and closed her eyes as she recalled his words. He'd said that the longer someone stayed in a coma, the less likely it was that they would ever wake up. She took a few shaky breaths, trying not to cry. Amara had been kind enough to drive her here, and she stood quietly in a corner giving her some space. The over-protective sandy blonde would only become more convinced that this visit wasn't a good idea if she started bawling.

'Breathe,' Serena told herself silently. 'Breathe.' Mercifully, she managed to get her emotions and tear ducts under a tenuous sort of control. When she opened her eyes again, they were more or less dry. Gently, she kissed her mother's forehead, and nodded to Amara, letting her know that they could leave now. Amara left her corner, placed one strong, yet gentle hand on the girl's shoulder, and together, they exited the room.

"Thank you for bringing me, Amara," Serena murmured as they walked down the hall. The blonde held her breath briefly as a medicinal smell wafted into her nose. The smell of hospitals was something that was fast becoming quite mephitic to her.

"You're welcome." There was a brief silence. Then; "I'm sorry."

Serena looked up at her in confusion. "What for?"

"That all of this had to happen."

Serena managed a sweet smile. "Things like this happen to everyone at some point. We just have to have a little faith that things will get better."

"Wish someone could have foreseen it, though. Maybe we could have done something about it."

"If we went back in time and fixed every little problem, the whole timeline would get screwed up, and Fate or Destiny or whatever would get pissed. Or that's what Trista told me once, anyway." Serena felt a sudden urge to tell Amara what had happened that night. Maybe she or another one of the Outers could explain it. "Amara?"

"What?"

"Well…I…um…"

"What is it?" Amara watched the petite blonde closely. It was evident that Serena couldn't figure out what to say. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe it's nothing."

"Kitten, don't beat around the bush." They were almost to the car. "Just tell me what's wrong."

"Is it possible to accidentally travel back in time? As in one minute you're sitting back and relaxing, then suddenly you've jumped back in time about two weeks?"

Amara stared at the blonde in confusion. That definitely hadn't been one of the million things she'd expected her Princess to ask. She'd been prepared to explain the nature of a coma or something related to that…but time travel…that had come out of left field. "I don't know…" 'Maybe she's trying to get her mind off of her mom's condition,' she thought as they got into the car. "I think it's only possible in fiction, though. We all know it's possible to travel through time, as indicated by our various experiences. But that's voluntary. I've never heard of it happening by accident. I suppose it could happen, though. Why do you ask?"

"Oh…" Serena let out an involuntary giggle. She decided not to tell Amara what had happened…what she _thought_ had happened. She wasn't sure what had happened; for all she knew, she'd passed out for a moment. "I was just curious." How had she gotten out of the car, though?

"You probably ought to ask Trista. She'd probably know for sure."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Serena directed her gaze to the scenery outside. 'Serena, you're fooling yourself,' her practical mind scolded. 'You met your future self, and you're trying to deny it. Like Amara always tells you; '"Denial" isn't just a river in Egypt.'

The blonde mentally smacked her logical mind upside the head. 'Maybe if I don't think about it, it'll just go away,' she thought randomly. 'I mean, out of sight, out of mind, right?'

Her logical mind awoke with a vengeance. 'Don't be stupid! Your future self told you it would happen again! Why are you still trying to deny it?!'

Her emotional side whimpered; 'This is too crazy…why can't I be normal for once?' The blonde shifted her legs slightly and massaged her left foot, which had fallen asleep.

'It just ain't in the cards,' was the very unsympathetic reply.

"Kitten, it's your stop." Amara's voice broke into her thoughts, and Serena jumped. Fortunately, she managed to recover herself quickly, and smiled brightly at her sky soldier.

"Thanks, Amara!" The blonde pulled the taller girl into a brief but loving and bone-cracking hug, and then bounced into her house.

Amara grinned and shook her head as she watched her little kitten go. 'I swear…I'll never be able to completely figure out exactly what goes on in her head. But she's cute, and I wouldn't want her any other way,' she thought with amusement.

**Tsukino Residence, Mid-Evening**

Serena sank down onto her bed, rubbing her temples. "I'm going to lose my mind one of these days," she muttered.

"Serena?" Luna padded in, looking at the blonde in concern. "Are you all right?"

"Mm-hmm."

"You've been distracted, and I know you're not sleeping well."

Serena smiled. "I'm all right, Luna. Really. I'm just worried about my mom. When she wakes up, I'll be myself again. Don't worry about me."

Luna curled up next to her. "It's my job to worry about you. Besides, you know that if anything's wrong, you can tell me or any of the Scouts."

"I know," the blonde replied, scratching the cat lightly behind the ears. She ceased as she felt a sickeningly familiar pulling sensation, and, excusing herself to Luna, ducked into the bathroom. 'What's happening to me?' she wondered.

**Two Hours Later, Rae's Temple**

Silence. No one spoke. After all, what was there to say? No one could think of anything to say. So silence held court all around the table. No one had spoken after the initial panic, when Luna had called all of them via their communicators in a state of dreadful hysteria, saying that Serena had vanished without a trace. At first, there had been shocked disbelief, then worry, then absolute terror. They'd investigated, and found nothing. No signs of a struggle were present, nor had there been even the slightest hint of forced entry. For all intents and purposes, Serena had simply vanished into thin air.

Trista sat white faced and silent, uncertainty distorting her elegant features. She'd never seen anything like this. The Time Gate was no help; it was as though Serena had disappeared from the timeline while the future remained intact. It was utter bewilderment and confusion that made the time soldier unable to speak. 'The gods help us,' she thought. 'What is the universe coming to when our Princess disappears without a trace, and we have absolutely no evidence that anything is amiss other than the fact that she is missing?' The time soldier looked around at the others, feeling utterly useless.

"D-do you think th-that Chaos…?" Mina began. She couldn't finish, and burst into tears.

"If it were Chaos, we'd all be dead by now," Amara replied grimly. "Besides, Serena-," she stopped, taking a few ragged breaths. "She beat it," she whispered.

"Diamond?" Rae suggested. "He went screwing around in the timeline once…"

"He died," Lita stated flatly.

"What does that have to do with the price of eggs? We've all temporarily kicked the bucket at least twice…and Beryl came back…we had to kill Wiseman at least five times…"

"And Serena always finished the bad guys off and brought us back to life," Mina added.

"If Diamond laid a finger on her…" Lita muttered. Her hands clenched into fists at the thought.

"What _are_ we going to do?" Amy moaned. "Serena's missing, and we have no information to go on. Even a shoe size would help at this point, because we would have one small, though most likely useless, scrap of information."

"Luna, did you hear anything suspicious?" Michelle inquired.

"Not a thing…I thought she seemed a little off, but then again, considering all that's happened, I thought nothing of it."

"What kind of creepo would kidnap a girl right out of her bathroom?" Mina wondered.

"That seems like something Diamond would do…I mean, he _did _kidnap Serena last time, and tried to force himself on her," Rae observed. But then, she frowned, and recalled; "But he also died to save her once he realized that Wiseman had his own agenda."

"Maybe it was Wiseman," Lita suggested. "He was plenty creepy, and I wouldn't put it past him to do something like this."

"Maybe it was that pest Seiya Kou!" Amara burst out.

"That's pushing it, Amara, and you know it!" Rae sighed, and pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Seiya would _never_ do something like that."

"How do we know? He was always following her around, and it was obvious to everyone but Serena that he had a huge crush on her!" Amara huffed.

"And he never tried anything," Amy reminded her. "Maybe a peck on the cheek here and there, but that was all. And he knows that Serena loves Darien. He stepped down without a fight."

"Ugh…" Lita swore, and stood, starting to pace. "I hate this! Why can't we find her?"

**Unknown Location, Unknown Time**

Serena moved quickly through the streets, keeping her head down. She had no idea where she was, nor _when _she was. She half expected the cops to show up and arrest her at any minute. She'd had to lift some less conspicuous clothing. Her school uniform stood out like a sore thumb in the midst of a society whose trends seemed to revolve around jewel tones and clothing items that looked like they belonged in a production of _Grease_. Mercifully, she'd only had to remove the tags. There hadn't been any real security devices on the items she'd made off with.

Even so, she had set off the alarm, and she knew that the security cameras would have incriminating footage of her lifting clothes. It was best to keep moving. Her friends were probably frantic by now…the blonde felt a pang, and walked faster, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. Wherever she was, the streets were still full, and it was dark out. She felt lost and vulnerable, and wrapped her arms around herself.

Sirens sounded, and Serena kept her head down, forced herself not to run. She breathed a sigh of relief as they passed her. It was so cold here…the blonde shivered, and kept walking. What if she got stuck here? What if she never managed to get back? 'Think positive,' she admonished herself. 'If you wait, Trista will come get you. Then, she'll figure out what's wrong, and help fix it.'

**November 6, 2011, Chicago, Illinois**

"Two weeks," Trista spoke quietly.

"What?" Hotaru asked, looking up at the oldest of her adoptive mothers.

"It has been two weeks, and not a trace of our Princess." The time soldier was clearly frustrated. "Chaos is still sealed away, Diamond is dead, Wiseman is buried in oblivion; and yet, our Princess is nowhere to be found. I know that she did not vanish into thin air; so why, by all the powers of the universe, are we not able to find her?"

"I don't know. You mean you haven't found _anything_?"

"No; not even the smallest hint." Trista closed her eyes wearily. She hoped that wherever her Princess was, she was unharmed. The blonde could be ditzy, and sometimes her stunts nearly gave the time soldier a heart attack, but the thought of anything happening to her made Trista sick. And what would Queen Selenity say if she found out that not one of her soldiers could find her daughter?

"Unbelievable," Hotaru sighed. "We've tried everything, and it's like Serena just fell off of the face of the planet! We don't even know what happened!"

"The only thing that could make this situation any worse is if the Starlights were to show up. I, for one, would rather not have to explain that, despite our best efforts, we've managed to misplace our Princess."

Hotaru shuddered. "Be careful…that might actually happen," the small girl warned.

**Unknown Time, Somewhere Hot**

Serena had no clue where she was, nor did she know the date. Frankly, she did not really care anymore. What was the point? She would just keep getting hurled through time until A): she died or B): she finally ended up back in her own time. Even then, her friends would probably strangle her. Honestly, she wanted to strangle herself right now. She'd been running from cops, scrounging clothes and food, and trying to stay alive for she didn't know how long. What killed her was that her locket, the one thing that might have been able to help her, was back home…wherever or whenever that was.

The blonde wiped her brow, and kept moving through the sweltering heat. At least here they spoke English. A few travels back, she'd ended up in Germany. Man, had _that_ been an adventure! The blonde moved her long, thick, incredibly heavy hair off of her neck again. She wished wildly for some more hairpins. How long could one live like this? Some days, she felt like she would go hopelessly insane.

Sweat poured down her face, and she felt like she was going to die. She had to get to a place that had water, or steal a water bottle…something! Serena ducked into a convenience store, and slipped a bottle of water under her jacket. She was successful, and once she was at a safe distance, she let the cool, blessed liquid run through her veins. 'I'm on the verge of becoming a klepto,' she thought with dark humor. She'd stolen just about every ounce of water and food she'd consumed since all of this had started. Once, she'd ended up in jail. Luckily, she'd traveled out of there fairly quickly.

Her mind wandered, strangely, to Seiya. She missed him. Ever since the battle with Chaos, Darien had been acting like a total jerk. He'd gotten annoyingly possessive and controlling. He acted like everything was lovely while her friends were around, but when they were alone, it was always accusations. She'd begun to make it a point not to be alone with him very often. 'Seiya would never be such an ass,' the blonde mused. She frowned as she thought about that time on the rooftop, and again as she recalled her words to him before he left.

"Serena, you're an idiot," she informed herself. "Seiya loved you, and you didn't realize it until it was too late."


	3. Chapter II: Call to Arms

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Two: Call to Arms**

**AN: **I'm sorry I'm taking forever…it's just that this is the first time I've ever tried to write a fic like this, and it's incredibly difficult. Please bear with me…I intend to see this through if it kills me. Reviews are greatly appreciated…they boost my morale and feed my imagination, which is wasting away because of school.

**Two Weeks After Serena's Disappearance, Kinmoku, The Palace**

While the Sol Senshi attempted to find out what had become of their missing Princess, all was not well on the other side of the galaxy. Kinmoku had been rebuilt, and restored to her former glory. Kakyuu could not have been happier, but for one worry of hers. Seiya had not been the same since they'd left Earth. The usually upbeat, feisty soldier had been withdrawn and sad since they had said farewell to Serenity of the White Moon and her guardians. Kakyuu could not help but be concerned. She knew how Seiya felt about the blonde…it was written all over his face. It was clear to her that all three of her Starlights missed their friends on Earth, but Seiya was by far the worst off.

"Seiya?" the Fireball Princess asked softly.

The dark-haired boy shifted slightly, and blinked as he pulled himself from her reverie. "Yes, Princess?" Midnight blue eyes met dark brown ones.

"I'm worried about you."

Seiya smiled, and Kakyuu noted sadly that it was forced. "I'm fine, Princess." He changed the subject. "It's good to be home."

Kakyuu and Seiya both knew that that wasn't the case, but the Fireball Princess realized that pushing would only hurt Seiya at this point, so she chose to leave the elephant in the room alone for now. Seiya sighed, and turned his eyes to the night sky. "I miss her," he murmured.

Kakyuu nodded, knowing perfectly well who Seiya was talking about.

"I decided that I would just leave and try to get over it…and by the gods, I've tried," Seiya continued softly, shifting slightly. "She has Darien, and I know that he was always in her thoughts…but I still miss her. And I worry about her."

"I understand," Kakyuu answered softly, placing a hand on the dark-haired boy's soldier. "But I am sure that she is safe, and that she is happy."

"I hope so. I just wish I knew for sure. If I could know that she's safe and happy, it would be a lot easier."

Just then, Yaten came in. "Um…Princess? Seiya? You might want to consider a trip to the throne room…" The silver-haired boy was visibly flustered, and taken utterly by surprise.

Both stood. "What is it?" Seiya asked worriedly. "Has something happened?"

"You're never going to believe this…"

**¥β∞β¥β∞β¥β∞β¥β∞β¥β∞β¥**

It was only through years of instruction from her mother in etiquette and poise that Kakyuu managed to keep her jaw from hitting the floor once she entered the throne room. The sight was just too unbelievable. Even so, she paused mid-step for a few seconds as she processed the sight in front of her. However, Seiya had no such control, and asked, "What are _you_ doing here?" His tone was somewhat belligerent, and Kakyuu placed a gently restraining hand on her soldier's arm.

However, Seiya's shock was hardly unwarranted. After all, Kakyuu was just as surprised. She simply did a better job of concealing her shock. After all, she would never, in a million years, have expected to see the Outer Senshi in her throne room, apparently by their own will rather than by some coaxing from Sailor Moon. And yet, that was exactly what she was seeing. Shock soon found itself replaced by concern. She highly doubted that this was a social visit. Considering the dark circles under their eyes and the visible tension on their faces, something was wrong.

Sailor Uranus confirmed her fears when she snapped back at Seiya with a scowl; "This isn't a social call!"

"What has happened?" Kakyuu inquired gently. She moved closer to them, and her Starlights did so as well. Seiya was beginning to look worried.

Uranus glanced at Pluto meaningfully, and Saturn cleared her throat. Neptune stood perfectly still, but her eyes begged Pluto to do the talking. Eventually, the time soldier obeyed the group's collective wish. "A problem has arisen on Earth, and we require aid." Pluto shifted her feet slightly, and continued; "Sailor Moon has gone missing." And, after a pause; "We have searched everywhere, and there has not been a trace of her."

"How long?" Seiya asked softly. "How long has she…?" The dark-haired soldier could not continue.

"Two weeks. She is nowhere on Earth; so we thought that perhaps she might have found her way here."

_"Why in the hell didn't you come to us sooner?!"_ Seiya demanded. "She could be anywhere by now!"

"We've been looking for weeks!" Uranus hissed. "We thought that she was still in our solar system, and furthermore, all of our old enemies are either sealed away, dead, or healed and living better lives! The only proof we have that something's wrong is that our Princess is missing!"

"Uranus!" Neptune's tone was worried, and she gently restrained the sky soldier. "Fighting won't help."

"Indeed, it will not." Kakyuu's tone was calm. "In fact, we ought to start looking for her. Perhaps someone else might have seen her."

Within hours, Kakyuu, the Starlights, and the Outers had successfully managed to divide themselves into small groups that could move quickly and discreetly, yet also were strong enough to get them out of trouble should any problems arise. They searched everywhere. Not a corner of the galaxy was left unsearched. And every new location was a disappointment. There was absolutely no trace of Serena. They searched until they were about to collapse from exhaustion, and they even enlisted Galaxia for aid, but there was no sign of the blonde. It was like she had literally disappeared into thin air.

In the end, despite all of their hopes to the contrary, it was concluded that Serena—wherever she was—was most likely gone for good. Unless she had somehow managed to teleport herself out of the galaxy—which was, even for someone as accident prone as Serena, unlikely—she was gone. It was highly unlikely that she had actually left the galaxy, as A): she had no reason to do so, and B): it would have been impossible for her to do so on her own. Therefore, Pluto decided that there was definitely a new enemy on the loose, but there was no trace of that, either. This only served to increase their fear. What evil could possibly exist that was powerful enough to take Serena and still remain unseen and unknown?

"We're screwed," Healer stated tiredly, hopelessly. They were back on Kinmoku, analyzing the situation. The silver-haired soldier sank down into the first available seat. "If this thing can take out Serena, then we'll be easy picking."

"Don't say that!" Fighter said roughly. She refused to sit down, as tired as she was. "Even if she's gone, she wouldn't want us to just give up!" A lump formed in the raven-haired woman's throat, and she could not swallow it. Her voice wavered slightly, and her eyes misted over.

Uranus murmured, "As much as I hate actually being in agreement with you, Fighter, you're right. She wouldn't want us to just lie down and wait for the world to end. Besides, if we die, I'm going to give the enemy a nice bruise on the ass before I go." The sky soldier stood as well, shoulders slumped from grief and a feeling of almost overwhelming hopelessness. But as she spoke, her eyes flashed with grim determination, and her shoulders squared themselves.

"We had better inform the Inners about this. They want to know…" Pluto trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. "At this point, we need to have everyone we know aware of the threat we face," she finished.

"Agreed," the group chorused.

**ψϧϘψϧϘψϧϘψϧϘψ**

**Unknown Time, Unknown Location**

She was alone, floating through time and space. All around her, the sky was a deep, rich violet that slowly darkened to midnight blue. Stars shone bright and clear all around her, and she found herself searching for one special light in particular. Trembling, she floated in the midst of this starry yet empty space. All she could see were stars. No planets, no suns. There was only the sky and stars. And her. Serena wondered if the strain of being hurled through time and constantly running had finally caught up to her and driven her utterly mad.

'By the gods, my friends are probably worried sick…and Dad's probably devastated. First Mom ends up in a coma, now I'm missing…' she thought. 'I need to get back home, but how?'

A chiming voice rang out, a chorus of both male and female voices, both beautiful and painful to hear. Serena grimaced in pain as it reverberated in her mind and burned through her consciousness. Instinctively, she knew that this voice was never meant to be heard by mortal ears. "Do not fear, Serenity of the White Moon. We mean you no harm. All will be revealed."

The blonde girl looked all about her, and found no one. "Who are you?" she asked faintly.

"We are the Powers That Be."

"Huh?" Serena wrinkled her brow in confusion. "Do you mean that as in, like, God, or something?"

"It is a good deal more complicated than that. We are the weavers of dreams, the foundation for life and order in the universe. We are the ones who first created time and the fabric of reality."

"Uh…okay…so what does this have to do with me? I mean, obviously you wanted me for something, and here I am." Serena had a nasty feeling that whatever came next would be quite unpleasant. The blonde shifted slightly, and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling terribly vulnerable.

"The Void has awakened once again." The voices held a deep amount of concern, and Serena cringed slightly. If beings as powerful as these were frightened, it was definitely not a good sign.

"What exactly is this Void?"

"Before time existed; long before the universe was created, there was nothing but the Void. It brought Us forth into being. Then, Chaos came into being. And then, from that, came Cosmos, or order. Thus, the universe was born. But Chaos reigned for a time, until Cosmos grew strong enough to overthrow her. But she has not been seen since. However, the order she managed to establish remains, and from that, Time was born."

"Okay, so basically, the Void is the source of everything. What's the problem?"

"The problem is that the Void is used to nothingness. Usually, It lies dormant and unthreatening. However, It occasionally awakens and starts to become restless. It tries to take everything back into Itself. Normally, we manage to lull It back into a dormant state. But now, It is determined to take back what it brought forth so long ago, starting with Time."

"Oh…but what can I do? I'm just Serenity…I mean, the Silver Crystal is powerful, but I don't think it's strong enough to defeat something like the Void."

"You are far more than that. Cosmos was the one who helped form the moon, sun, planets and stars. But she favored the Moon above the others. You are a Daughter of the Moon. She existed before Time, and even the absence of that could not harm her. You are one of her favored ones…you can exist outside of Time and remain unharmed and unchanged."

That was when Serena realized what was going on. "You mean to tell me that all of this shuffling back and forth through Time is because of _that_?" she burst out. "Why didn't You tell me sooner!?"

"We felt that you might require an acclimation period, so you could become used to it."

"Well, You failed! I've been going nuts trying to figure out what's going on, and You couldn't even be bothered to warn me!"

"Forgive Us, young one. We only meant to make your task easier."

"What task?" The blonde demanded.

"You can exist outside of Time…and the Void is starting to attack its very structure. It is tampering with history, and destroying any who might be able to stop It. You must go back in time and forward in time to correct these errors. You must also find Cosmos…she may well be the only one who can stop the Void."

"I can't control where I end up; let alone figure out what I need to do every time I travel! Besides, my friends are probably thinking I'm dead! Without them, I don't know what to do! _I can't do this!_"

"You do not give yourself anywhere near enough credit. And fear not. The Void moves slowly. You will be able to see your friends and loved ones on occasion…there will be time for you to rest."

"What part of 'I can't do it' don't You understand?"

"You are perfectly capable of doing what needs to be done." The voices were firm now, with a hint of impatience. "We cannot linger anymore debating with you. You will be returning to your current Time. In the meantime, it is advisable that you begin studying trends in history. The fight has not quite begun. Use your time of preparation well."

The sky around her faded, and the all-too familiar tingling sensation spread through her body. Serena sank to her knees onto soft carpet, and she looked around. She was in her room, and Luna was staring at her in complete and utter shock. "Luna?" The blonde murmured. "I had the craziest dream…" And the blonde promptly passed out.


	4. Chapter III: Don't Know Much About

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Three: Don't Know Much about History…**

**AN: **Sorry, everyone. I know I'm driving you all crazy, but it's hard to write about time travel and keep it coherent as well as keep it interesting.

The blonde girl opened her eyes and closed them again as too bright light seared her vision with a faint groan and grimace. When she opened them again, someone had very kindly dimmed the light. Where on Earth was she? She felt stiff all over, and found that she was in a bed. As her mind started processing small details, a sharp medicinal smell came to her attention, tickling her nose. Serena sneezed. The rustle of the pillow beneath her confirmed her suspicion; she was in a hospital.

"Christ," she mumbled, her voice coming out as a croak. "I'm in a damn hospital! Wonderful…" That meant that her dad was probably ready to throttle her. Actually, everyone would probably be ready to kill her. What fun… the blonde mentally cringed as she imagined how this would end. Her train of thought stopped mid-horror story-ish scenario when Rae walked in. The fire soldier looked as if she had not had a good night's sleep for days. However, when she saw that Serena was awake, relief washed over her features.

"Serena, thank God!" Rae was at her side in an instant. "When you turned up like that…we were so scared…what happened?" The dark-haired girl had so much to say that all Serena could make out between incoherent sentences was phrases.

The blonde put a hand over Rae's and ordered gently, "Slow down, Rae. Let's take this one step at a time. What happened?"

"You just appeared out of nowhere…Luna told us you said something, then just collapsed. You've been here for about three days. We were so scared…where _were_ you? The Outers went all the way to Kinmoku and asked the Starlights for help, and _they _got Galaxia to practically tear apart the galaxy looking for you! They're on their way here right now."

Serena closed her eyes and tried to figure out how in the name of heaven and earth she was going to explain this. "How long was I gone?" she asked timidly.

"Almost a month," Rae replied solemnly. Then; she demanded, "Where _were_ you?"

"I'm not really sure," the blonde answered truthfully. At least she wasn't lying about _that_. "I think I went to a variety of different places…I mean, one place was really cold, and I'm pretty sure another one was near Satan's rectum, because it was so hot. I think I was in Germany once, but I'm not positive." The blonde frowned as she recalled being chased by a bunch of cops shouting in German…or what she assumed was German, anyway. That had definitely not been pleasant.

"Do you have any idea what happened?" Rae's tone softened.

The blonde recalled her conversation with the Powers That Be, and tried to imagine explaining the whole thing. It gave her a headache, and she sank back into the pillows with a groan. "No," she answered. "I don't. One minute I was at home, the next…" she sighed. The whole concept was so mind-bending that she only had a vague idea of exactly what was happening to her. The only thing that made real sense was the fact that something called the Void was trying to destroy the universe…at least for the moment. If she could barely understand it, she could not hope to explain it anywhere near well enough to her loved ones.

"We'll have to talk to Trista about this. Luna's never heard of involuntary teleportation; maybe she has."

"Or involuntary time travel," Serena muttered—very softly—under her breath. Out loud; "So, Rae, why am I in the hospital? And when can I get out of here?"

Rae thought for a moment, and answered, "Well, when you showed up, your dad came in, and he called an ambulance. The doctors said nothing was wrong except that you were dehydrated, somewhat under-weight, and exhausted. Luna called us, and we've been just kind of taking turns sitting with you since. As for when you can leave, I think they'll probably want you to stay for at least another day, and then you can go."

"I'm perfectly healthy," Serena grumbled. "I could get up and walk out of here right now…" the blonde did not get a chance to go into a rant, because Mina walked in. When the other blonde saw Serena, she let out an ear-splitting squeal, and Serena found herself engulfed in a bone-breaking hug.

"Oh, my God! You're awake!" Mina squealed, and released Serena.

Serena grinned and replied, "Yeah, I am. And I'm in perfect health, but apparently the doctors won't let me go. If I had some real clothes, I'd get up and walk out, but…" she shrugged.

"Your dad's going to be so glad you're awake! He's been a wreck."

"How bad are we talking?" Serena asked quietly.

Mina sobered. "He hasn't been so good. I mean, first your mom's in a coma, and then you disappear. It's been rough."

Serena winced. This was going to happen again; could her dad take it? Could anyone?

"Still, now that you're going to be okay, he'll be better," Mina comforted her. "The Outers are going to be glad, too. They were convinced that you'd been kidnapped by some new, unknown evil and killed. Then, that started up the talk of another apocalypse, and the Starlights started worrying that Chaos might have come back...it was crazy. And when you turned up again, none of us had a clue _what _to think. I mean, Trista says there's no way Chaos is back or anything, and all our other enemies are either healed or dead."

"I'm starting to think that the Crystal's glitching," Rae commented. "Serena told me that she thought she'd been to a bunch of different places…she wasn't trying to teleport. Maybe something's gone wrong and the Crystal keeps teleporting her to different places…although it's more than a little strange that it would do something like that."

"No kidding," Serena agreed. "It was really weird." At the same time, she was trying to figure out how to handle this situation next time. According to the Powers that Be, she would have a rest period…but for how long? She was supposed to read up on her history…but there was a lot of that! How would she know what to do? Furthermore, how would she avoid causing her friends more pain and worry?

"So you honestly don't really know what happened?" Mina asked.

"No…I'm just confused. I didn't know where I was, really, and it was just…weird…" Serena shrugged.

"Well, we'll figure it out soon," Rae assured her. "We aren't going to let this happen again; Trista nearly had a stroke this time. I'm not sure if any of us could deal with this again and not go insane."

Such talk continued for a while, and Serena faced everyone, keeping to her partially true story; no, she didn't really know where she'd been. No, she did not know how it happened. Yes, she was okay. Mercifully, no one wanted to throttle her. For her dad, however, she sang a different tune. Her friends could accept the possibility of uncontrollable teleportation. They knew that what was generally seen as impossible could actually be done. They were Sailor Scouts, after all. But her dad was not like that. Unless he had evidence, he would not believe in super powers or anything of the sort. Ken Tsukino was a logical man.

Her story for him was that she had received a call from a (fictional) friend in Peoria whose boyfriend and roommate had inexplicably gotten themselves into a very messy situation involving a misunderstanding with the chief of police, aforementioned roommate carrying on an affair with the chief's only daughter and another girl on the side, and the boyfriend being dragged into the mess. Her friend had been in desperate need of moral support, and her need was so great that, in her rush to leave, Serena had forgotten to write a note. It had taken weeks to sort out the situation, and frankly, she wasn't sure if the conflict had been completely resolved. This story was so intricately detailed, told with such well-feigned emotion, that Ken Tsukino had no choice but to take his daughter's word for it.

"Fine, Serena. I'm glad you're home. But next time, write me a note or something," he sighed.

"Okay, daddy," she said sweetly.

Ken smiled and kissed her forehead gently, then let her have some time with her friends.

"You should be a writer, " Amara informed the younger girl with a faint grin. "With that imagination of yours, you could write quite a few books. I swear, if I hadn't known better, I would have actually believed that story."

Everyone else nodded agreement. They'd been listening outside the door and heard every word Serena and her father exchanged. The tale the blonde Moon Princess had spun was quite…interesting, to say the least. Some parts brought quiet snickers, and others were just disturbing. Still, it had fulfilled its purpose. Ken Tsukino was willing to let her get off easy, and had a logical explanation.

"Do you always tell stories like that when something Scout-related happens and he needs an explanation?" Lita asked. "Because if you do, your parents probably think you've been hanging around with lots of unsavory characters."

"Not always," Serena replied. "Sometimes I just keep it simple and say I lost track of time playing video games at the Crown. But that's only if I was only gone for a few hours. My formula for two days might be that another fictional friend of mine is has serious anxiety issues, or something like that. Other times, I just act uncomfortable, change the subject, and simply avoid the topic."

"You've done the suicidal friend story, too?" Mina asked. "So have I!"

"Once," Amy admitted.

"I'm glad we're from Kinmoku," Yaten stated. "It's a lot easier there; we don't have to worry about secret identities or anything like that. We can just explain where we were and that's the end of it. Meanwhile, you guys have to create massive works of fiction to explain things."

"It's hard for me to lie," Serena admitted. "But even though Sailor Moon is splashed across the tabloids, Dad figures it's just a vigilante with fancy gadgets. He doesn't believe in magic or anything. So I just end up having to spin a good story." The girl brightened. "But at least I'm not in an institution, which is where I'd be if I told the truth."

All of the Sol Senshi nodded in agreement, and the Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten had to concede as well. They'd had a taste of the need for secrecy, and it had been nearly suffocating.

"So, how do we deal with this new development? I mean, we really can't have Serena teleporting all over the place for weeks at a time…what should we do?" Rae asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"That's the problem," Trista stated. "There really is no way to stop it…no one has seen anything like this before…not even me."

Dead silence. Finally; "You're kidding," Seiya said, shaking his head dubiously.

"I am quite serious," Trista replied calmly, but her face was worried.

Serena felt her face grow warm, and hoped it didn't show. _She_ knew what was going on…sort of. Did she? She thought back on the explanation she'd been given, and her brain twisted as it tried to understand what was happening. Eventually, she had to give up. All she really knew was that she had to keep the universe from falling apart and being sucked into the Void. No pressure… The blonde lay back and closed her eyes, trying to sort out her thoughts.

"You okay?" Lita asked her.

"Mmmm? Oh, I'm just a little tired. I'm fine."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. Being hurled across the world without having a clue what's going on is exhausting…"

"Poor Serena," Mina said sympathetically.

"I'd feel a lot better if I could get out of here," Serena hinted.

"I'm sorry, Serena," Amy apologized. "I tried to convince them to let you out, but they won't budge."

Serena shrugged. "You tried…but I swear to God, if they don't let me out of here tomorrow, I'm not going to be happy."

**ϘϧβϧϘϧβϧϘϧβϧϘ**

Thanks to Serena's anvil-sized hints and Ken's desire to bring his daughter home, the blonde did indeed leave the hospital the following day. Once home, she reassured everyone that she was fine and promptly began to think on what the Powers That Be had told her. Now that she had recovered from her rough travels across time, she understood the gravity of what was happening, and it was not quite so mind-bending. Even so, she had no intention of telling anyone about it. After all, the Void could change history; if she were to tell, what if the Void screwed up the timeline so that they all forgot? Then, she'd have to keep repeating the explanation over and over again…it just wasn't worth it.

The blonde began to research trends in history, starting with the Sumerian era. It was an extremely dull study; by the end of the first paragraph on Wikipedia, she was yawning. She pinched herself and kept reading. She made it halfway through the long (boring) article, and pushed her laptop away with a sigh. Surely there was an easier way…wasn't there? The blonde thought about her other options, and grimaced. No…she was stuck with this.

"Geez…why can't the enemies be nice, super-powered humans like they used to be?" she mumbled. "They just don't make them like they used to…so annoying…" The blonde smacked herself. "Focus," she murmured. "That's all it takes…focus…" Her stomach growled.

"Goddammit!" the blonde screeched, waking Luna, who was dozing in the sun.

"Serena, are you all right?" the purple cat asked in concern.

Serena forced herself to smile. "I'm fine…just trying to figure some things out and failing miserably."

Luna got up and walked over. She climbed up onto Serena's desk and looked at what the blonde was doing. "The Sumerians? Honestly, Serena, if you're curious about history, just ask me. Wikipedia never gets it completely right!"

"With pleasure." Serena exited out of the article. "So, um, Sumer was the first great civilization, right?"

"Correct," Luna replied. "On Earth. On the Moon, civilization had been thriving for centuries before the people of Earth began building cities." The cat continued, and Serena listened carefully, and began taking notes. Luna was way more interesting to listen to, and Serena wondered why she hadn't tried it before…oh, right. She'd been concerned with other, less significant things. 'I'm an idiot,' she thought. The blonde let Luna continue, and they had almost made it to ancient Roman times before the cat stopped.

"I didn't know you were so interested in history, Serena," Luna told her. "What brought it on?"

"I just got curious," the blonde shrugged.

"Oh, by the way, Darien called. He wants to see you as soon as possible. You'd better talk to him. He's been worried about you."

'Yeah, right,' Serena thought with disgust. 'He's probably just pissed that Seiya's back. If I go, he'll accuse me of cheating on him for sure. He didn't used to be this possessive.' Even so, there was no way she could avoid it. 'Lovely,' she thought. "Okay, I'll go talk to him," she said, faking a smile for Luna. 'Let's get this over with,' she thought. 'Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll fall and split his head open or something.'

The blonde walked over to Darien's apartment and knocked. Apparently, fortune hated her right now, because he answered. When he saw the blonde, he raised an eyebrow. "Serena…I'm surprised. I would've thought you'd be out and about, hanging onto Seiya."

"For Christ's sake, Darien," Serena snapped. "What's gotten into you? What reason have I ever given you to think I'd cheat? When have I ever given you the slightest inkling that I'm that kind of girl?"

"You two sure seemed friendly," Darien replied obstinately.

Serena rolled her eyes. "What? I'm not allowed to have friends who're guys? Honestly, when did you become so paranoid?"

Darien let her in, and started pacing. "You obviously have no idea how many guys would like to have you for themselves," he said calmly. "Seiya is one of them. And you've done nothing to discourage him."

'Oh, shit…if I don't defuse this, he'll start a brawl,' Serena thought worriedly. She forced a laugh. "You think Seiya's in love with _me_? You're crazy! He's so devoted to Princess Kakyuu that he wouldn't think of leaving her side!"

"He did so when you went missing…where were you, anyway?" Darien's eyes had a dangerous glint in them. "Were you with another man, you little whore?"

"Darien, this is stupid," Serena protested, backing away slowly. "You know I'd never cheat on you." 'Although you're making me think I probably wouldn't have any qualms about it if I did,' she added mentally.

He grabbed her then. "You're lying," he insisted.

Serena sighed. She had known this would get ugly; why had she come, again? She launched a kick to his kneecap, hit the mark, and opened the door. In response to his previous remark, she shot back; "No, you're just delusional." That being said, the blonde made her escape.

**ϘϧβϧϘϧβϧϘϧβϧϘϧβϧϘ**

Hours later, Serena was reading and re-reading the notes on the history lessons Luna had taught her. Now, they were near the end of the B.C. era, with the fall of Egypt. Cleopatra seemed like an interesting character in history, the blonde mused. She had dreamed of bringing her father's kingdom to its former glory, and because of the men she fell in love with, her dreams were crushed. 'It's amazing how much one person can change the world,' Serena mused silently. She re-read her notes again, and lay down to sleep. She had school tomorrow. The blonde cringed as she imagined the load of make-up work she would have.

And how would she know what to do the next time she was thrown through time? How would she ever identify where…or when…she was? Furthermore, how would she be able to understand the language? She sincerely doubted that she would have a clue what anyone was saying if they spoke _Linear A _or _Linear_ _B_…or hieroglyphics. How would she understand what to do if she couldn't speak the language?

These thoughts plagued her as she tried to find sleep. How would she ever learn her history well enough to do what had to be done?

**AN: **Once again, I apologize for taking forever to update...school is giving me a crap ton of homework. And the italicized languages I mentioned are real…they're from Ancient Greek times, so if you have any questions, just look them up. They'll be there.


	5. Chapter IV: Wolf

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Four: Wolf**

**AN: **I'm sorry I take forever…between choir competitions and homework, it's hard to find free time.

Serena woke up in the bathroom. Startled, she leapt to her feet, cracking her head on the corner of the vanity on her way up. "_Ouch!_" she exclaimed, and added a few choice words for good measure.

"Serena, are you all right in there?" Luna called from outside the bathroom. The cat sounded worried.

Serena pulled herself to her feet. "Yeah, Luna…I'm fine. I just slipped." 'What the fuck just happened?' she wondered. Then, she remembered. 'Oh, crap…I traveled again. Where have I ended up in the timeline now?' The blonde ran a washcloth under cold water and held it to her head. Then, she exited the room, washcloth still in place. She _had _to know where she was.

Luna was waiting for her. "Are you sure you're all right, Serena?" the cat asked, looking up at her in concern.

The blonde smiled sweetly. "I'm fine, Luna. But I _do_ need one little thing…can you remind me what today's date is? Haruna told us there was a test on October 18th, and I'd like to at least have one day's notice."

Luna replied, "It's October 16th, Serena. Are you _sure _you're all right? You were in there for an awfully long time, and that bruise on your head looks nasty."

"I'm fine," Serena replied. "I'm just tired." 'What the hell? That's the same time I disappeared…' then she got it. She'd reappeared in time shortly after she'd disappeared. So her past self was wandering around in time while she was here…the blonde had to stop that train of thought. It gave her a headache. She sat down on her bed and began to comb out her hair.

So, what did she know? She'd been gone for about two weeks, maybe more. Then, she'd gone to bed last night, and reappeared during the time after her first major time shift. That meant her friends probably had not had to contact the Starlights to find her, as she was here…so basically, the time she'd first reappeared in no longer played out the way it had…the blonde groaned as her brain twisted itself unpleasantly trying to solve this puzzle.

'How am I ever going to deal with this?' she wondered silently. Luna jumped up on the bed next to her and lay down. The blonde gently scratched the cat behind the ears, and then began to get ready to go back to bed. But she found that, once in bed, she could not get to sleep. What if she traveled again? What would she do?

Eventually, though, sleep caught up with her, and no dreams plagued her.

**Ϙβ¥Ϙβ¥Ϙβ¥Ϙβ¥Ϙ**

The blonde woke up to the sound of her alarm going off, and lurched out of bed with a screech. She rushed around frantically, trying to recall where she was. At the same time, she shouted in a panic; "What's the date?!" To the outside observer, the sight would have been comical; a frantic teenaged girl scared silly by the sound of her alarm. But to those who truly understood the scene, it was a cause for alarm.

Luna, wondering if her charge had finally cracked, replied, "It's October 17th, Serena. You asked the same question last night."

Serena sank back down onto her bed and sighed with relief. "Oh, okay. Well, I guess I'd better go get ready for school, huh?"

"It's Sunday," Luna informed her. "Now, really, Serena…what's going on? When did knowing the date become so important?"

"I…had a nightmare where it was the eighteenth and I had a test," Serena said lamely.

The purple cat raised an eyebrow, her expression dubious. "Serena, I know you better than that. Something weird is going on."

"I just figured I ought to do a better job of keeping track of the date, is all. And that test has me worried; it's Geometry, and I'm still having nightmares about 45-45-90 triangles…or I think that's what they were…" and Serena went into such detail about her mathematical woes that Luna had to conclude that the blonde was genuinely stressing over math.

"All right…I see your point. But are you _sure_ that there is nothing wrong?"

"I'm fine, Luna!" Serena replied cheerfully. "I guess I'll just get dressed and go out." The blonde disappeared into the bathroom. Luna stared after her, knowing she'd just been duped…and wondering exactly how she had permitted that to happen.

**Ϙβ¥βϘβ¥βϘ**

Serena left the house about an hour later. The blonde wandered aimlessly around the city, quietly musing over what was happening to her. Why had she shifted in time like that? What was the point? She considered the situation. She had reappeared during the hours after her first major shift, meaning that her friends would most likely not have the slightest idea that she had actually been gone for nearly a month. It certainly made things a little easier, she thought, but it would have been nice to have a little warning.

Briefly, she got the strange feeling that someone was watching her. She looked around, and spotted no one. 'Maybe I'm just being paranoid,' she thought. Constantly being on the run could do that to a person. And she'd been on the run ever since she first started being tugged across the timeline. 'It would've been nice if the Powers That Be had warned me before sending me on a joyride across the universe,' she thought somewhat resentfully. Serena was so lost in thought that she did not see someone step out in front of her.

_CRASH_! The two collided, and Serena landed squarely on her bottom. Oddly enough, the stranger hardly seemed fazed. The blonde got on her feet, and blushing furiously, murmured, "I'm sorry…I didn't see you…" At the same time, she also took in the sight of her unsuspecting victim. The stranger was male, and clearly the type of guy that Amara would tell her to keep her distance from…and his hair was a disconcerting white, with hints of black at the tips. One eye was a clear blue, while the other was hidden beneath his shaggy hair. His face was oddly handsome, and the expression could only be described as brooding. Serena got the feeling that he rarely, if ever, smiled.

Just as she made this observation, he looked down at her. "It's all right." His voice was low, with an accent that Serena could not quite place. At the same time, he met her eyes, and the strangest sensation passed through the blonde. It felt as if he were looking into the very depths of her soul. She also felt a strange sense of familiarity, though she was certain that she had never seen him before in her life. The blonde lowered her eyes so that they were focused squarely on his chin. The blush that had just begun to fade from her fair skin reasserted itself, and Serena fleetingly worried that her skin would become permanently blotchy because of today's events.

The stranger continued, "You're working to take down the Void, aren't you." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. He said it so casually, in such a conversational tone, but Serena's eyes still leapt to his face, the blush leaving her skin, showing the whiteness of sudden terror.

"Who are you?" she whispered.

"I'm Wolf."

**AN: **I do not own Wolf. A friend of mine created him and asked me to see if I could weave him into my story. So I did.


	6. Chapter V: My White Knight?

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Five: My White Knight?**

**Serena: **Your brain is going 95 miles an hour…what are you planning?

**Starlily11:** I'm deliberating whether or not I want to make this story even more complicated (looks at what she's planning)…oh, looks like there'll be some twists…

**Serena: **Please don't kill me again…

**Starlily11: **Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of your being mysteriously impregnated with King Arthur…long story, that…

**Serena: **What the hell...?

**Starlily11: **Any-hoo…back to the story!

Serena regarded the stranger before her with caution, her suspicions aroused. At the same time, she was also trying to figure out how fast the Outers could get here before anything unpleasant occurred. She groped for her communicator, and her stomach plummeted down into her feet as she realized that she had left it back home. She backed away slowly. The stranger watched her calmly, and made no move to attack. She thought she saw the slightest spark of amusement in his eyes.

"So…Wolf, huh? Do you have a last name to go with that?" Maybe if she could keep him talking…

"No. Just Wolf. You can quit backing away. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Why should I believe you?" Serena asked, with more bravado than she felt. She kept what she hoped was a safe distance between herself and this stranger.

"Because if I had any real desire to kill you, why have I not done so? You gave me quite the opportunity, running into me like that." Wolf still watched her calmly, eyes fixed on her face, his tone even and coolly methodical.

Serena flushed at the reference to her clumsiness, but stayed where she was. "What exactly is the Void?" she inquired, playing dumb. "I've never heard of such a thing. Therefore, why would I be trying to stop something that I know nothing about? Is this, like, a role-playing game or something?" At the same time, she was trying to decide how fast she could get to the other side of the street. Then, she factored in her clumsiness and did a mental sweat-drop. Her chances were _not _looking good.

The stranger…Wolf (if that was even his name!), rolled his eyes. "Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Serena backed up. "Still, why should it concern you?"

"Let's just say that I'm invested in the Void's downfall. And since _you_ appear to be the only hope for that, I'm invested in keeping you alive." Wolf's voice never seemed to change, Serena noticed. It was eternally calm and revealed absolutely nothing about him, save for that strange accent.

"The Void's done a lot of damage, but I imagine that It also has Its own share of followers. How do I know you're not one of them?"

"You don't," Wolf said simply. "But know this; I want nothing more than to see the Void go dormant…permanently."

Well…he sounded sincere. But still…something felt strange about this. And how could she shut the Void down _permanently_? Serena studied Wolf's face, searching for any hint of malice. There was none. He radiated a strong type of energy that was neither positive nor negative in nature. It did not feel like that of a Sailor Senshi, but it felt nothing like that of Chaos or Nehelenia. "You're asking me to take a lot on faith," she said slowly. "Besides, the road I walk is a strange one, and honestly, I'm better off on my own."

Wolf let out something that sounded like a quiet snort. "I know about your time-jumping," he informed her. "Besides, I think you need all the help you can get."

"Well…" Serena hesitated.

"I can follow you through time," he said softly.

"Fine," the blonde girl sighed. "I'll be grateful for any assistance that you can provide." Then, she recalled the way her clothes sometimes disappeared as she traveled, and blushed again. Why did he have that effect on her?

Wolf seemed to know exactly what she was thinking, because he developed a sly gleam in his eye. "Don't worry," he said casually. "I won't look."

Serena gasped in outrage and sputtered. Wolf chuckled slightly.

"So," he said. "What exactly are you planning to do right now?"

The blonde glowered at him. "I'm going to the library," she replied, surprising herself.

"What for?"

"I thought it might be a good idea if I brushed up on my history…to see what the Void's been doing."

"Good idea. I think I'll help."

"Only if you promise not to make me blush."

"It's hardly my fault if you blush easily."

Serena sighed, and started walking, fully aware that Wolf would most likely be following her. She got the feeling that she would regret her decision to let him into her confidence like this. But, really, what other choice did she have? She could either stumble her way through this and make a huge mess, or maybe…just maybe, she could actually have a small amount of help. Even if it was someone annoying like Wolf.

**β∞Ϙ∞β∞Ϙ∞β∞Ϙ∞β**

As it turned out, Wolf knew plenty about history. In fact, he seemed to know more about it than the books they used. He spotted several areas in which the Void had interfered. Luna had been informative, but Wolf sounded almost as if he had actually lived through most of humanity's history. By the time the two exited the library, it was nearly dusk. Serena checked her phone, and winced.

She had twelve missed calls and eight voicemails. They were all from Darien. She was in _so _much trouble. She was surprised that the Outers hadn't come bursting in…after all, surely Darien would be ready to kill someone by now. Namely, her. Her stomach sank as she realized that Darien most likely hadn't called the Senshi and told them she was missing. No, he was waiting for her to show up at his apartment. Then, she'd _really _catch it. Darien was going to kill her. She swallowed hard.

Darien had been so possessive ever since the battle with Chaos…all because he'd seen the way Seiya looked at her. No matter how many times she swore to him that she and Seiya had never been involved (at least, not romantically), he was still convinced that she'd cheated on him. Of course she hadn't been blind to Seiya's feelings for her—contrary to popular belief—but she had known her destiny and her duty, and she had tried to dissuade Seiya as gently as possible. He'd gotten the message eventually.

That was her deepest regret. She had thrown his love away, and ignored her own heart in the process. But at least she had been able to promise herself that she would be married to a good man, and she could learn to love him. Furthermore, everyone else would be happy. Earth would become a paradise. Surely that was worth giving up her heart. She would regret it, but at least the happiness of the others she loved would be secure.

Serena cursed herself for that logic now, as she listened to the voicemails, each one growing more and more venomous. How could Crystal Tokyo possibly exist with Darien acting the way he was right now? The blonde steeled herself to go to his apartment. Delaying would only make things worse. It was best to try and defuse the situation now. She turned to Wolf.

"Hey, Wolf…I've got to go. My dad's going to be worried about me if I don't show up for dinner." That was a lie. Her father would worry about her, all right…but dinner no longer had a set time in her household. It hadn't since the accident. Serena swallowed again and pushed back tears at the thought of her mother.

"Okay," he agreed. "See ya." He turned and walked off.

Serena squared her shoulders and walked to Darien's apartment. As she walked, she quelled the nerves that rose in her stomach. Darien would see unease as guilt, and she was guilty of nothing. She knocked, praying that he wouldn't answer. Unfortunately, he did.

"Where have you been?" the dark haired man asked calmly.

"I was at the library all day. I turned my phone off. I'm sorry if I worried you," she said sweetly, her face innocent.

"You sure you weren't with a guy?"

"Oh, Darien…" she sighed sweetly, wrapping her arms around him. "Why would I want to waste my time with another man when I've already found my Mr. Right?" Inside, the blonde was disgusted with herself. She really felt like she had sunk to new lows, groveling at the feet of this jerk. However, her feelings remained hidden from Darien's eyes, and he seemed mollified. A little.

Clearly, desperate measures had to be taken. The blonde stood on tiptoe and gently pressed her lips to Darien's. The back of her mind gagged. Even so, it was worth it. Darien softened. He smiled down at her. "I'm sorry, love," he said. "I know you'd never cheat."

Serena snuggled into his chest, revulsion threatening to break her façade. "You're already forgiven, Darien, my love," she breathed. "I forgave you the instant the words passed your lips. I knew you didn't really mean them." It was overkill, but Darien ate it up. "Now, I'd better get back home. You know how my dad is. I'm sorry I have to leave so soon," she said apologetically, hoping that her false contrition would not be seen and make her words sound sarcastic.

Darien frowned, but he nodded. "All right. I'll see you tomorrow, though, right?"

"Of course!" she chirped. 'Unfortunately', she thought. 'What choice do I have?' She exited, and rolled her eyes as soon as the door was shut behind her. Still, she was safe for now. The blonde girl headed in the direction of home, and crashed into someone. This time, however, she was saved from hitting the ground when a strong arm encircled her waist. She looked up and leapt away with a yelp.

It was Wolf. "Nice performance back there," he remarked. "If you hadn't rolled your eyes, I would've been fooled like your idiot boyfriend."

"You were spying on me!" Serena accused.

"Of course not," he said calmly. "I simply noticed that you seemed a little concerned when you checked your phone, and some of those voicemails sounded nasty. I simply wanted to make sure that the idiot in the apartment back there didn't kill you. I never figured you were so talented at manipulation."

"Only if I'm in danger of a jealous rampage," Serena grumbled.

"Ah, so if it had come to blows, I would have been needed. Fortunately for you, it didn't."

"If you're done insulting me, I'd like to be on my way," Serena replied coldly. How dare he? What right did he have to accuse her of being manipulative?!

"I wasn't trying to insult you," he explained. "I was congratulating you. You seemed so transparent today, but you proved me wrong. You are quite good at hiding your feelings when you feel like it."

"Well, thank you for your concern, but I really must be going." Serena quickly walked away, and this time, Wolf did not follow.

Instead, he grinned slightly. "Funny girl," he said, shaking his head. "But she'll certainly make things a little more interesting than I thought."

**AN: **I'm sorry I'm so slow. Writer's block is being particularly stubborn, and the constant stream of homework isn't helping.


	7. Chapter VI: Conversations of the Awkward

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Six: Conversations of the Awkward Kind**

**AN: **Whew…finally, no more finals! I now have all the time in the world…minus the chores for my allowance, and the summer reading. AP classes, how do I loathe thee…let me count the ways.

Despite her best efforts, Serena was still late for dinner. Inwardly, the blonde groaned as she entered the house. Ever since the accident, Ken Tsukino had become overprotective of his daughter. He'd given her a bottle of pepper spray, which she was to keep on her person at all times. Serena had promptly tossed it into her school bag and forgotten about it. Furthermore, he insisted that she call him if she was going to be late, or if she was changing her plans. Tonight, she had been running late and forgotten to call. She was in for it.

'Honestly, between Darien and my dad,' she thought, 'I have absolutely no breathing room! Thank God the Outers aren't in on the act, or I'd go nuts!' Then, somewhat guiltily, Serena reminded herself that at least her Dad and her friends weren't absolutely convinced that she had cheated on Darien with Seiya. As far as Ken Tsukino knew, Seiya had only been a friend. As far as the Senshi knew, she was totally oblivious to the fact that Seiya felt anything other than simple, friendly camaraderie. She intended to keep it that way. Seiya was on Kinmoku, long gone. Most likely, he never wanted to see her again.

A wicked little voice in the back of her head whispered, "Ah, but remember when you first got back…before you shifted to this time? He came back to help find you. If he hated you, he wouldn't have done that."

Another, coldly practical voice replied, "It was probably for purely political reasons. If someone takes you out, the whole universe is screwed. It was to keep Kinmoku safe. That was it."

Serena sighed. That was a flimsy piece of logic…and crap, and she knew it. Seiya wasn't some seasoned manipulator who only helped others to suit his own ends. If he did something to help, it was because he truly cared. The blonde mentally winced at the memory of that horrible night when he'd put himself between her and Sailor Tin Nyanko. He'd saved her life. She knew that he hadn't done that for political reasons of any kind.

That treacherous, truth-speaking voice whispered, "Just admit it. You love him, and you'll never stop kicking yourself for letting him go."

"Serena, is that you?" her dad called.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm home. Sorry I'm late." Serena walked into the kitchen, where her father sat waiting. His face was calm, but Serena knew she was in for a lecture.

"I was about to call the police," he informed her.

"I'm sorry, Dad," the blonde said quietly, looking down at the floor. Who knew that so many spots could appear on white tiles in two days? She'd just cleaned the floor on Friday…God, that seemed like it had happened so long ago…

'Well technically, it _was_ a long time ago,' she thought. 'You were gone for almost a month, but because of all of your time traveling, no one knows that.'

"Where were you?" her father asked.

Serena shifted her feet, and was silent for a moment. "I was at the library," she answered at last, deciding that the truth would not hurt her at this point.

Her dad raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah. I had a history report and needed to do some research." Not true, but she'd had one last month (before she started traveling, anyway), so maybe it would work.

"Another one? You had one just last month."

"My teacher's started giving me more projects lately. This time, it's about the '80s."

"Wow, your teacher moves fast. Last month, you were studying World War I."

'Shit!' Serena thought. How could she have forgotten? Actually, scrap that question, she knew the answer. "Well, this teacher likes to jump around the book. He started with the Revolution, and then we were suddenly talking about Christopher Columbus. Just like my Geometry teacher started out with the difference between a ray and a line, and then jumped ahead to tessellations."

Ken Tsukino sighed. "Honestly, Serena, you don't have to lie. You can tell me the truth."

"The truth?" Serena asked. 'Oh, crap, he's been brainwashed by the Void!' she thought. She looked around for an escape route. It couldn't be too hard to outrun her dad…well, her brainwashed dad.

"You were with Darien, weren't you? That why you were late."

Serena 's mind went blank. "Wh-no-wha-how-…yes," she finally managed to say. "Yes, I was with Darien."

"Serena, honey, don't take this the wrong way, but be careful."

Serena smiled sweetly. Her dad didn't know how things really were, and she wasn't about to tell him. She could never be angry with him for telling her to be careful. Especially not now. He wasn't brainwashed by the Void; he was just trying to protect her.

"I'll be careful, Dad," she said gently.

"I mean it, honey. Those older men sometimes put pressure on younger girls…" he stopped suddenly, and looked at her. His tone cautious, he asked, "Did your mother explain to you what happens when a man loves a woman?"

Serena almost laughed, but refrained from doing so. Even then, she could not help but grin. "Mom already gave me 'The Talk', Dad. And she's already warned me about what can happen if I date an older man."

"Do you still have the pepper spray I gave you?"

"Yeah, I do."

Ken Tsukino sighed in relief. "Good."

Serena warmed up her dinner, ate, and then went to bed. No matter how hard she tried, though, she could not get to sleep. Her mind was filled with questions. Who was Wolf, exactly? Why was he so interested in helping her? Why did he want to take out the Void so badly? And why did a small, treacherous place in the back of her mind whisper that she should be very, _very_ afraid?

**βϘ¥Ϙ¥Ϙ¥Ϙ¥Ϙ¥Ϙβ**

The blonde was rudely awakened from her troubled doze by the sound of her alarm ringing in that obnoxious manner that only alarm clocks have. "Ugh…" she groaned, and sat up. "I hate Mondays," she muttered, dragging herself out of bed.

Luna was equally irritated, as she replied, "I think everyone does, Serena."

Serena managed a tired grin and walked into the bathroom to get dressed. Just as she was pinning her hair up into its usual style, Luna spoke from behind the door.

"Serena, remember, you have a math test today," the cat called.

"Damn!" the blonde muttered under her breath. She'd forgotten about the lie she'd told Luna. Heck, she had no idea if she actually had a test today! October 18th had been so long ago for her that she had no idea what subject material they were covering in class. 'Stupid time travel!' she thought darkly. She finished with her hair and headed downstairs, snagging a bagel for breakfast as she went out the door.

Behind her, Sammy and Ken gaped at the blonde's turned back. Serena was actually up on time and leaving ahead of schedule!

"Oh, my God, Dad," Sammy whispered. "Serena's been kidnapped by aliens and replaced by a drone!"

"Sammy," Ken sighed. "That's ridiculous and you know it. There's no such thing as aliens."

Luna rolled her eyes at the comment. 'You have no idea, Mr. Tsukino,' she thought. She glanced at the door through which Serena had made her exit. Still, it _was _strange that Serena had gotten up on time. Normally she had to work a great deal harder to get the girl out of bed. Today, however, the blonde had grumbled slightly and gotten up on her own. It was most certainly odd. Well, perhaps she had decided to turn over a new leaf. Better late than never.

**β¥Ϙ¥β¥Ϙ¥β**

A small part of her mind had warned her that this would probably happen. Even so, Serena could not help but be surprised by the fact that Wolf was waiting for her outside…on a motorcycle that would most likely keep Amara occupied and amused for hours while she figured out everything there was to know about the vehicle. The thought brought a small smile to the blonde's face. However, just as quickly, she realized that he had somehow known her address.

"How did you figure out where I live?" she asked cautiously.

Wolf rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I thought we went through this yesterday. I'm supposed to protect you. So I followed you home last night. Now get on."

'Not likely!' Serena thought. "Do you have any idea how freaked my dad would be if he found out I rode off on a motorcycle with a total stranger?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest. "And that doesn't even begin to cover how my friends and…oh, God… _Darien_ would react!"

"We're just going to school," Wolf replied patiently. "Furthermore, your dad will never know you 'rode off on a motorcycle', as you so charmingly put it. Besides, you know my name and I know yours. Therefore, we're not strangers. We're acquaintances."

"You sound like Pennywise the Dancing Clown," Serena mumbled.

"I promise I won't pull you into the sewer and eat you, okay? Besides, IT isn't real life."

"A long time ago, the Void wasn't, either," the blonde retorted.

Wolf rolled his eyes. "I swear to you, by the moon, stars, and my own personal sense of honor that I will take you straight to school, will not maim, injure, kill, or cause harm to you in any way, shape, or form. I will not drop you at an unsafe altitude, in the middle of unfriendly terrain, or in any location that could possibly put you in harm's way." When he finished his long and rather bizarre oath, he offered a hand to the blonde. "Does that satisfy you?" he inquired in a dry tone.

"You won't leave me alone until I get on, will you?"

"Nope."

Serena sighed. "Fine. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into if anyone finds out. I'm going to have a heck of a time explaining this." She took Wolf's proffered hand, and took her seat behind him.

"Hold on," he instructed. "It's going to be a crazy ride."

Blushing furiously, the blonde wrapped her arms around his waist, and prayed that none of the neighbors saw. She didn't have much time to think about it, however, because as soon as she had a safe grip on Wolf, the motorcycle began moving, and the only thing she was able to concentrate on was hanging onto Wolf for dear life.

**The School, around 10 minutes Later**

"Oh. My. God." Serena spoke one word at a time; no emotion was readably in her voice except pure shock. They were in the school parking lot. Wolf grinned, and helped the blonde off the motorcycle, and was forced to hold her up for five minutes, as her legs seemed to have lost their ability to function. "That was…"

"Fast?" Wolf suggested, releasing her once he was sure she could stand,

"Terrifying," Serena whispered. "But insanely cool."

"And here we are, at school. I promised you you'd be fine."

"I believe you," the blonde replied, dazed. "But you aren't a student here."

"I am now. As far as anyone knows, I'm a transfer student from Bangladesh. Actually, my education is pretty sketchy, because I've lived all over the world, but my parents finally sent me here." Wolf rattled off his story so casually that if Serena hadn't known better, she would have been fooled.

"Prepare to be swarmed by people, then," Serena warned. "The kids here love it when someone new comes in, and you'll be bombarded with questions."

"I'll be fine. I can handle crowds."

Serena's phone rang, and the blonde said, "Excuse me for a minute. My friends are calling…"

Wolf nodded, and leaned against a wall.

Serena pressed the talk button and braced herself. "Hello?"

"Serena, where are you?" Mina asked.

"Oh, sorry, Mina. I got my dad to drive me to school today and forgot to tell you," the blonde lied.

"You might have warned us! We were starting to think you'd been kidnapped!"

Serena chuckled in spite of herself. "Oh, yes, I was swept off my feet and carried off by a hot, sexy assassin, never to be seen again." She'd been carried off after a fashion, and she most definitely had been swept off her feet (sort of), and Wolf was definitely kind of sexy.

"It isn't funny, Serena!" Mina reprimanded.

"Look, I'll see you at school," Serena said sweetly. Then, it occurred to her that she had no idea what her schedule was today. She'd completely forgotten what classes she had this semester. "By the way, do you have any idea what classes I have today? I've somehow managed to forget."

Mina laughed, and rattled off the information, and Serena hung up with relief, to find Wolf watching her with an amused expression on his usually stoic face. "Remind me to get you a planner," he said. "It seems you'll need it."

The blonde blushed, and turned away with a huff, walking to her first class of the day.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Wolf asked from beside her.

She turned to face him. "Such as…?"

He held up her bag. "Your things, milady," he said, handing the bag to her with a small bow.

Blushing again, she took the bag and made her way to her first class with unusual speed, leaving Wolf to chuckle softly behind her.


	8. Chapter VII: The Game Begins

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Seven: The Game Begins**

**AN: **SailorMoonAddict- I'm sorry; I know I'm taking my time. Bear with me…I'm getting there.

Serena walked into her math classroom, looked at the board, and promptly cursed. Behind her, Wolf chuckled. The blonde took a deep breath and sat down, all the while cursing karma. When she'd told Luna she had a test, she'd been trying to avoid having to explain a situation that was damn near impossible to wrap her head around. She hadn't expected to actually _have _a test! It seemed like karma had bitten her on the ass.

"Karma, you're such a bitch," she muttered.

"Indeed, she is," Wolf conceded softly behind her. When she turned to him, he said in the same low voice, "Oh, did I forget to tell you? I'm in all your classes."

Serena sighed, and replied equally quietly, "You're taking this whole protecting me thing seriously, aren't you?"

"Very seriously," Wolf informed her.

Other students were starting to come in, and Serena sat down, with Wolf taking an empty seat close by. Shortly after, Mina and the others came in. Upon seeing Serena, in her seat and on time, the hyperactive goddess of love and beauty shrieked, "Oh, my God, the world's ending!"

Serena laughed, and replied, "Well, Mina, like I said, Dad drove me to school, so I couldn't help being on time."

"How did your Dad end up driving you to school, anyway?"

The blonde Moon Princess thought for a moment, and replied, "He had to go to work early, so he gave Sammy and I a lift."

"Sammy and me," Amy corrected her.

Serena giggled. "I know, I just decided to see if you would correct me."

It was only a matter of time before Mina spotted Wolf, and she asked, "Who's the new kid?"

"His name's Wolf, and he's just transferred here from Bangladesh. Actually, he's been moving all over the world, since, like, he was born, and his parents have decided to send him here until he graduates," Serena replied.

Amy, Lita, and Mina stared at her, jaws agape.

Serena laughed, and said, "Wow, guys, you should see your faces! He showed up early, and I knew you'd all be curious, so I struck up a conversation." Sort of true…he had shown up early, _cough_, before school yesterday, and in a way, she _had _struck up a conversation, after walking into the guy.

In a low voice, Mina said, "He's kinda cute…is he single?" All three girls leaned in towards Serena to hear her answer.

"How should I know?" Serena replied softly. "I suppose he's somewhat good looking, but he isn't my type, and besides, I had enough of a hard time getting his name out of him. Can you imagine trying to ask him a personal question like that? It would be rude." At the same time, the blonde wondered if Wolf even _had _a type. He probably didn't. She doubted he was interested in girls, and she was equally doubtful that he was gay, therefore meaning he didn't have a type.

"I know he's not _your_ type, Serena," Lita sighed. "You don't even look at a guy unless it's Darien. But what about the rest of us?"

The mention of Darien almost triggered Serena's gag reflex, but she restrained herself, and replied, "I'm sorry, but I just feel really awkward asking questions like that." 'Besides, he's an irritating jerk,' she mentally added. She paused, and amended; 'Sometimes.'

Against her will, her eyes flitted over to Wolf, and he was watching her, his stoic expression betraying only the smallest flicker of amusement. Feeling her cheeks flush, she turned her eyes elsewhere.

"Oh…Serena's blushing," Mina giggled. "I think she's got a crush on the new guy!"

"Mina!" Serena hissed.

Lita chuckled, and even Amy grinned. Mina's giggles turned into hysterical laughter.

"I think you might be right, Mina," Lita agreed. "Poor Darien…do you think he knows he has competition?"

'Poor Darien, my ass!' Serena thought with a mental huff. But that didn't mean she couldn't amuse herself by proving her friends right while also getting them off of the 'Wolf Subject', as she was already referring to it in her mind. Smiling brilliantly, she responded, "Like I said, Wolf's not my type, but Darien still has some competition…the poor man."

"Who is it?" Mina asked excitedly.

Serena's smile stretched into a Cheshire cat grin, and she said, "Oh, I don't think I'll tell. You'll just have to figure it out, Mina my friend. Don't worry, this will be a fun game." Turning to Lita and Amy, she added, "And of course, you two are welcome to join the game as well. Actually, anyone in our set is welcome to play. But first, permit me to lay down a few rules. Are you listening?"

She definitely had their attention. The three Inners leaned in. Mina looked excited, Lita looked very interested, and Amy looked somewhat scared. The blonde hid an evil grin. Amy was right to be afraid. Serena would tell them eventually, but she would ensure that the prize was hard-won.

"Very good. Rule one; we do not tell Darien about the game, as he might think I'm leaving him, and there's really no need to have him worrying over nothing."

That was a load of crap. Really, this rule was to make sure that Darien didn't kill her. She was in enough hot water already.

"Rule two," she continued. "When the answer is revealed, it cannot be used for blackmail or teasing of any kind."

"I'm starting to not like this game," Mina complained.

Serena smiled. "Rule three; you are more than welcome to quit the game at any time, but in doing so, you forfeit gaining the answer. Everyone else will know, but those who forfeit are excluded from the knowledge unless I'm feeling nice and take pity on them."

"Okay, now I'm scared," Lita said.

"Rule four," Serena pressed on, pretending not to hear. "I will give all players a clue each day. The clue will be the same for each player. But you are not permitted to discuss the clue with any other player, or anyone else."

Amy was intrigued; she was sure that she could figure it out.

"Rule five," Serena continued, "The clues will be on paper, and hidden somewhere each day. I promise you that you will be able to find them if you focus on the task. Oh, and don't ask how I managed to hide them. You don't want to know." Serena planned to have Wolf help her with this.

"Rule six; when you think you have the answer, contact me, and I will tell you whether or not you are correct. If you are wrong, keep trying."

"You're so mean," Mina pouted.

"As I said, Mina, you're more than welcome to stop playing at any time. But remember the consequences," Serena replied. "Lastly; rule seven. If someone manages to guess correctly, the game ends."

"I'm in," Mina decided.

"So am I," Lita agreed.

"This seems like an attempt by Serena to send us all on a wild goose chase," Amy mused, "But this should be amusing, so I'm in as well."

"Wonderful," Serena beamed. "Very well, then. We shall start tomorrow."

Just then, the bell rang, and everyone took their seats. Grinning widely, Serena wrote down the first clue. Naturally, she would never tell them the true object of her affections, as it would cause unhappiness for all of those she loved, but at least she could have some fun watching them scramble around trying to find the answer. Pluto would probably know it, but the cool thing about the Guardian of the Time Gate was that unless it was a threat to everyone's safety, she remained silent.

Class flew by, and Serena faked her way through the math test as best she could, then turned her attention to where she would hide the first clue. When the bell that signaled her release finally rang, she gathered up her things, and headed for her next class; Contemporary Literature. Lita had this class with her, and now, so did Wolf.

"I suppose you'll be wanting me to help you hide the clues for your little mind game?" Wolf questioned behind her."

"I could do it myself," Serena replied. "But I would love it if you helped me."

"I think you're intending to completely waste their time, which is somewhat evil of you, but considering that it will probably be hilarious to watch, I suppose I'll help."

"So chivalry isn't dead, after all," Serena smiled.

"Only for you," Wolf said seriously.

"How did you know I never intended to give them a real answer?"

"Well, I know it isn't that pathetic specimen you have the misfortune of calling your boyfriend, and even though you pretend otherwise, you're not an idiot. You know perfectly well that if the real answer were to come out, you'd be in a heap of trouble. So, you divert their attention from nonsensical speculations about you and I by introducing a red herring in the form of another player, while also providing yourself with some entertainment, all the while keeping your darkest secret safe from prying eyes."

"I sound like quite the evil genius," Serena deadpanned, with a perfectly straight face. Her eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Oh, you're not evil, but you're far smarter than anyone gives you credit for. You don't even give yourself enough credit."

"Don't make me into something I'm not."

Wolf's eyes held a flicker of humor as he replied, "I never do that. I simply help push people in the right direction. Oh, and don't worry, I won't tell them it's Seiya."

Serena lurched away from him, then leaned in and whispered, "How the fuck did you know that?!"

"Watch your mouth. That kind of language isn't ladylike. I know because you talk in your sleep." With that, Wolf continued on ahead of her, leaving her to stare after him in shock and a little fear.

**¥ϧβϧ¥ϧβϧ¥ϧβϧ¥ϧβϧ¥**

That afternoon, Serena sat in Rae's temple, grinning almost wickedly as she watched her friends work on their school assignments, while at the same time watching her in hopes of catching a glimpse of tomorrow's clue. Amara and Michelle had decided to join the game, and Hotaru and Trista, knowing that it was all a wild goose chase, declined the offer of the game. Serena was very grateful that the two only looked for threats, and did not look too closely at the past, for if they did, the game would be up, and she would be in a world of trouble.

"Serena, shouldn't you be working on the homework for Geometry?" Amy inquired. "I know you didn't study for the test today."

"I suppose I should," Serena sighed, her smile fading.

"Why are you so determined to make us work for just a little piece of information?" Rae asked. "We talk about everything; why is this little bit so important that we have to play this silly game?"

"Do you really want to know?" Serena asked with a sly, downright capricious smile.

"Is this your idea of a practical joke? Because if it is, no one's laughing."

Serena's smile turned into a smirk, "Oh, but I'm laughing," she replied. "And so is Wolf."

"WOLF KNOWS?" shrieked the Inners.

"Of course not," she said soothingly. "But he's my assistant."

"Serena, that's cheating," Luna sighed. She and Artemis refused to play, as both smelled something fishy.

"Well, technically I'm not playing the game. I'm creating it. Therefore, I can't exactly cheat."

"How come Wolf's helping you?" Lita asked.

"Because he wants to. I asked him to do me a favor, and he agreed."

"What exactly will he be doing?" Rae asked.

"Oh, just stashing the clues."

"You're just being evil now."

"I wouldn't say _evil,_ but tricky could be a good word," Serena smirked.

"You know, I've never seen you smirk before. It's kind of creepy."

"Yeah, but it's fun."


	9. Chapter VIII: A Princess's Lament

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Eight: A Princess's Lament**

**Starlily11: **Damn…I wish my stupid writer's block would end, already! Oh, well. I'm going to finish this story if it kills me.

**Serena: **And me…

**Starlily11: **Look, I've decided not to end it like the "Ides of March" episode from Xena, okay? Give it a rest.

**Serena: **But…

**Starlily11: **Serena, shut up. My readers want to know what happens next!

That evening, Serena handed Wolf the finished clue with a wicked grin on her face. Wolf sat on her bed, ever vigilant. Luna was spending the night with Artemis at Serena's prodding. The two cats were getting really close, and it was only a matter of time before their feelings would come out. Serena was just helping it along…and ensuring that no one knew that she had the mysterious new kid sitting in her room…at night.

Wolf had done pretty well. He'd done a good job of hiding the fact that he was anything more than your typical high school student. Of course, Serena knew better. Which reminded her…"How do you know I talk in my sleep?" she asked.

Wolf, who was reading the clue, raised his eyebrows. "I'm assuming that "IAN MOONE" is an anagram, right? To answer your question, I don't really need to sleep every night like other people, so I was acting as your night watch. I can't help having good hearing. I was out on the roof all night. "

Serena felt a little better. At least he hadn't been as close as she'd imagined. "Oh, okay. Yes, "IAN MOONE" is an anagram. Can you guess what it is?" It was still creepy, but she was already getting used to the fact that Wolf was, and always would be, a puzzle that was impossible to solve. It was best not to stew over how he did what he did; she'd just end up driving herself insane.

"'I am no one.' Isn't that from one of those CSI shows? "

Serena blushed, and mumbled, "Yeah, it's a guilty pleasure of mine. They don't watch it."

"It should be interesting to see how many people figure it out."

"Well, I've been careful to not even mention that it's an anagram, but still, they're all pretty smart. They'll figure it out eventually."

"You're probably right. And if they don't?"

"I'll get a good laugh and simply give them another clue, and say that all the clues are connected. Then, they can agonize over all of them for however long I decide to keep them waiting. "

"You really are quite the devious character…no wonder people tend to underestimate you. You hide behind your airheaded blonde act, and no one really looks closely enough to see what's really there. I can imagine that that's saved your life on more than one occasion."

"Hell, yeah," Serena replied, thinking about all the times people suspected her of being Sailor Moon, then dismissed the suspicion based on the fact that she was a klutz and kind of ditzy.

"Again, watch your language. There are so many other words to use," Wolf sighed.

Serena looked at Wolf, then, thinking. He could see through her like almost no one else, and had figured out things about her that she had always hidden in less than 48 hours, and yet no one really knew anything about him. She could tell that he could easily be dangerous, but yet he had never laid one finger on her. Why did he hate the Void so much? Who was he, really? And why did he, an almost total stranger, notice what even her parents had failed to see?

Her mind was rudely jolted back to reality by the demanding ring tone that signaled that Darien was trying to reach her. At first, she'd had some love song ring tone; that had lately been replaced with an obnoxious voice yelling for someone to answer the phone. Serena looked at Wolf helplessly, and answered. Wolf closed his eyes and hummed softly, and Serena knew that that was the only measure of privacy she would receive for now. She hit the 'Talk' button and answered it.

"Hey, honey," she chirped in what she hoped was a convincing, sweet, innocent tone.

"Where are you?" Darien demanded harshly.

"I'm at home; where else would I be? The study session at Rae's is over, and it's past dinnertime." She projected a small amount of indignation in her voice, and softened it with her usual phony cluelessness.

"You said you'd be by at some point today," Darien informed her. "And yet I haven't caught so much as a glimpse of you."

Serena searched for a small shred of contrition in her heart, and found none. She chose not to reply. Wolf had opened his eyes and was watching her with his usual stoic expression, yet his eyes held a trace of amusement; or that was what she thought it was, anyway.

"Serena," growled Darien. "Where are you?"

"At home, like I said," she answered honestly.

"Are you with another man?"

Serena rolled her eyes and turned away from Wolf to hide her partly exasperated, partly annoyed expression. "Do you have any idea how protective my Dad is? He has a shotgun, you know, and he knows how to use it. He prefers to aim for the groin. Seriously, if a guy comes within a hundred yards of this place, he'll shoot, and _bam_, the poor guy's a eunuch." The blonde girl knew she was exaggerating in the most extreme sense of the word, but maybe the not-so-subtle threat would cool Darien down.

"You had better not be lying to me."

Serena decided to try a different approach. She projected a massive amount of hurt into her voice, and worked genuine tears into her voice. "Darien, love, don't talk like that. I would _never _lie to you. Why would I? You're everything I could possibly want…my soul-mate."

In the silence that followed, Serena was convinced that she heard Wolf gag. She shot him an evil glare, and waited patiently for Darien's response.

"That line is usually coming from a whore who's trying to dissuade her partner from finding out that she's two-timing him."

"Does that make Artemis a whore?" Serena asked. "I mean, he called Luna his soul-mate one time. Does that mean he's two-timing Luna? If that's the case, I'd better tell her…"

That ploy worked; Darien sighed, clearly having given up on the idea for now. "I'm sorry, Serena. It's just that the way some of the girls talk, it sounds like you and Seiya…"

Serena interrupted him; hearing Seiya's name reminded her of how she'd hurt the raven-haired Starlight. The thought of her foolishness and carelessness caused her heart to throb with pain. "Seiya is long gone, and I swear to you that no matter what you have heard, you were always in my thoughts. Yes, he indicated that he was interested in me, but I did my best to make it clear that I was taken. He's a friend, nothing more." Those last words barely managed to pass her lips, and when they did, her already aching heart developed a small crack in it.

Darien's voice became gentle, and he sounded once again like the man she'd fallen in love with once upon a time. "I know, love. I'm sorry I'm so edgy lately. Things at the hospital are stressful right now."

"Then perhaps you ought to take a break," Serena suggested. "Take a day off to sleep, or something."

"You're right. I should take the day off. I've been neglecting you. How about I take Saturday off and we spend some time together."

"Great," Serena replied, managing to create a genuine sound of happiness. However, her face in the mirror reflected no small amount of horror.

"It's a date," Darien confirmed, the smile clear in his voice.

"See you then," Serena replied. "I need to go. I think Sammy's knocking." She hung up.

"Crap," the blonde muttered. "Crap, crap, triple crap."

"You can always pretend to be sick," Wolf suggested.

"You heard what he said?" Serena asked.

"Every word," Wolf replied, sitting up. "You ought to just dump that jerk and forget what everyone else says."

Serena sighed, and walked to the doors to her balcony. Facing the scene outside, she whispered, "It's not that simple. I wish that I could do that, but I can't. Too many people depend on my ability to make this work."

Wolf's eyes became scrutinizing. He knew a great deal about this girl who had the future of the universe resting on her shoulders, but this was a new development. "Your friends wouldn't want you to be miserable, I'm sure. Besides, it would probably hurt them more to know that you stayed with someone who hurt you for their sakes."

"That's why they can never know," Serena replied softly. "It's really complicated. It isn't just them; it's a lot of other people, too. If I don't make this work, someone I love will be hurt." The blonde closed her eyes against the tears that suddenly formed, burning painfully in their intensity. Rini…her future daughter. She would cease to exist if she broke off her relationship with Darien. The blonde swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She continued, in an even softer tone, "If making a relationship with Darien work is what it takes to keep those I love safe and happy, then that's what I'll do."

"But what about your own happiness?" Wolf inquired.

"What is my own happiness worth if it ruins that of those I love?" Serena asked. "It would be unbelievably selfish of me to ignore the needs of others for my own sake. I could never live with myself if I did that." She was to be Queen of the Earth in a few centuries; then, even more people would depend on her. What seemed like a large sacrifice now would become but a trifle in the years to come.

Distantly, she remembered her mother, Queen Selenity's words; "Serenity, a true Queen must always put her people first. Sacrifices must be made. You will have to send dear friends into danger while forced to stay behind and direct others. They may even die, but unfortunately, it is necessary." The former Queen of the Silver Millennium moved to a silken cushion, on which the crown sat. She lifted it carefully, holding it so that her daughter could see it clearly. "This crown will be light on the head, but the duties it carries with it will be heavy on the heart."

Serena jerked herself back to the present, and, keeping her back to Wolf, murmured, "I'm feeling tired. Can you…?" She had no need to finish. Wolf nodded, and walked out onto the balcony, disappearing onto the roof.

The blonde closed her eyes, as the tears that she had denied mere seconds ago returned with a vengeance. She praised the gods that Luna was not here to see her like this, and that no one knew the true state of things with Darien save for Wolf; and she knew that for all his talk, he would not betray her. Seiya entered her thoughts again, and Serena released a sigh. "Forgive me, Seiya…I know that I hurt you," she whispered. The tears that burned her eyes spilled out from under her closed eyelids. "I love you more than I can say, but I cannot say 'yes' to you…gods!" The blonde's breathing became more ragged as she continued. "Seiya, you deserve someone who can give you their all. I have duties that I cannot ignore. The needs of others are not something I can deny." She opened her eyes and looked to the stars. "Oh, gods, have some compassion and let Seiya find someone who can love give him…her…all of their heart and soul…let me fulfill my role as Princess with a free conscience. If Seiya is happy, that will bring me peace."

As the blonde finished her prayer, she felt that sickeningly familiar tingling sensation working its' way up from her feet through her body. "Wolf," she called, and he appeared. One look was all that he needed.

"Relax," he told her. "Just remain calm. It might take me a few minutes, but I'll find you. Take cover and try to remain unseen."

Serena barely had time to nod in response before she was thrust into the time stream.


	10. Chapter IX: A Headstrong Charge

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Nine: A Headstrong Charge**

**AN: **Sorry for the wait…school started up, and I was stupid enough to load myself down with classes that keep me busy all the time. Any-hoo…next chapter!

**Kinmoku, shortly after the Starlights and Princess Kakyuu Returned**

Star Fighter sighed softly as she gazed up at the evening sky. Home at last. And they were safe, thanks to Sailor Moon. The noir-haired woman closed her eyes. She had managed to go almost a full day without thinking of the blonde, and now she'd ruined it. Fighter knew that she was being a tad unfair to the blonde beauty, but thinking of her caused such pain…

The dark-haired beauty turned her thoughts from that direction, and looked with pleasure at her restored home. Oh, they were still a long way away from being completely rebuilt, but the palace and gardens were complete, at least. That was where she stood now, surrounded by flowers completely unique to Kinmoku-sei. She breathed in the scent, willing thoughts of…_her_…away.

"Fighter!" Maker was calling. Probably making sure she was still sane. The raven-haired Starlight smiled dryly at the thought. Honestly, she had been loads better lately! She had managed to go without moping for four straight hours today! Fighter chuckled bitterly. She didn't blame Serena for her current situation. After all, the blonde was clueless about how she felt, and it wasn't like it mattered anyway. She had—what was his name, again—oh, right…Darien. But it still hurt, and now her friends and Princess were about to mother-hen her to death.

"_Fighter!_" Maker's voice had increased in volume and urgency. 'Better answer her,' Fighter thought.

"I'm here, Maker!" she replied. Her auburn haired comrade appeared seconds later, panting.

"What are you doing out here? It's late." Maker eyed her with concern.

"I was thinking. And besides, it's only been a few hours since dinner. I just needed some peace and quiet."

"You were brooding," Maker insisted.

Fighter rolled her eyes, and forced a smile. "No, I wasn't, actually, but since you seem to want me to…" She knew it was unkind to do this, but she was so sick of having everyone hover over her like she was suicidal or something.

Maker sighed. "I'm sorry, Fighter…it's just that we're worried about you. It's been three months…"

"I'm fine, really. It hurts less, and I really don't think about her that often." 'Only three times a day,' Fighter mentally added.

Maker raised a skeptical eyebrow, and Fighter put on her best innocent expression, but then ruined it with a snarky grin. They remained like this for a few moments, and Maker sighed, relenting. "Fine, but still, you worked hard today. Get some rest, okay?"

Fighter decided to relent in this. Maybe sleep would provide her some respite. "Sure. I think I'll go on up," she replied, and headed inside to her room. Little did she know that rest would be impossible within the next five minutes.

**Meanwhile, Seiya's Room, Kinmoku**

Serena wrapped her arms around herself and glanced at her surroundings in confusion. Where was she? She was so tempted to try and find someone to ask, but she knew perfectly well that at this particular moment that was impossible. First, Wolf had told her to stay put and wait for him. Secondly, for all she knew, this place was home to gun-toting lunatics...possibly even Klingons. As far as she knew, walking around completely naked was not socially acceptable anywhere in the universe.

The girl shivered slightly; it was a little chilly. The window to the room she was in was open, and a soft breeze gently caressed her face. Even so, she could not help but feel uneasy, not knowing where she was or what to expect. She hoped that Wolf would show up soon. The blonde turned and glanced out the window, and the scent of osmanthus came to her. She stiffened. The last time she had smelled that scent, it had been during the battle with Chaos, when she fought alongside the Starlights and Kakyuu-hime. Could it be…?

"Oh, gods…" she whispered. If she was on Kinmoku, then it was only a matter of time before she was discovered. Lady of Light…what if _Seiya_ found her? The awkwardness would reach a whole new level, and she had no idea how she could possibly explain herself without possibly putting them all in danger. It would be bad enough to be seen by a total stranger, but at least after her first shift in time, she could handle it. But if it were someone she knew…particularly one of the Starlights, when she had broken Seiya's heart…well, things would become nastily complicated.

As if the universe were cruelly conspiring against her, she heard footsteps coming towards the closed door of the room she was trapped in. Serena moved into the shadows in a futile attempt to avoid being seen. The door was thrown open, and Fighter walked in. The light from the hall poured in, and Serena felt the heat of an intense blush rushing through her skin as Fighter looked upon her, jaw dropping in shock. Tearing her eyes from Fighter's shocked, pale face, she murmured, "Forgive my intrusion…"

**βϘ¥βϘ¥βϘ¥βϘ¥β**

If someone had told Fighter that she would walk into her bedroom to find the Moon Princess blushing and shifting awkwardly by the window ten minutes ago, she would have stared at them oddly and recommended they get professional help. As it was, all she could do was stare at the blonde, trying to reconcile herself with the almost scary reality in front of her.

How many times had she dreamed of this girl at night? How many hours had she spent trying to remember every detail about her? Too many to count. But this…she couldn't have seen this coming, not even in her wildest dreams. The raven-haired woman heard herself gasp.

The girl in question stared at her with no small amount of horror and embarrassment, her skin draining completely of color, then quickly flushing in mortification. But for several minutes, she couldn't seem to take her eyes off of Fighter. Then, she tore her eyes away, lowering them to the floor, and murmured feverishly, "Forgive my intrusion…"

At these words, Fighter regained her ability to think, and quickly closed her door behind her. Silence ensued, and Fighter watched her closely, trying to understand what had brought her here. Serena, for her part, seemed to be determined to look anywhere but at her, and her fair skin was still stained red from her blushing.

"Odango," Fighter finally said, breaking the silence. "What happened? Is everything all right on Earth?"

Serena nodded, still not looking at her. "Everything's fine," she said softly. However, a little tremble in her voice betrayed a deep distress.

Damn…this was _not_ something Fighter knew how to handle. Phage, she could deal with. Chaos, she could fight. But this…she was completely out of her area of experience. None of her Senshi training had prepared her for dealing with the girl who had broken her heart appearing in her room without any explanation. "Are you sure?" she asked.

Serena kept her gaze determinedly focused on the wall, and replied, "Yes," with none of the trembling in her voice from before.

"Odango…look at me."

Serena closed her eyes briefly, and then seemed to force herself to look at her. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?" Fighter was confused.

"For everything. For this." The blonde was shaking like a leaf. "Lady of Light," she murmured. "I never meant to hurt you."

"Could you be a little more specific? What happened, Odango? Why are you here? Did something happen?"

Serena let out a hysterical giggle that was part shaky laugh, part sob, and part scream. "Oh, something happened, all right! Why am I here? I wouldn't know. As for what, well, let's just say that I'm probably going to lose it by the time all of this is over, that is, if I haven't already!"

She was clearly in shock. Fighter gripped her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. Serena's eyes focused, and she whispered, "I'm so sorry." Her voice was anguished. "I never should have let you go the way I did."

"Odango, what are you talking about?" Fighter asked. She was getting confused. One minute, her angel was blushing and embarrassed, then acting insane, now she was apologizing for who knew what!

"I knew," The blonde whispered brokenly. "I knew, and I let you go... I'm such a fool…"

Fighter was completely blown away. Had Serena gone 'round the bend? No, she hadn't…she thought not, anyway. But if she wasn't insane, why was she so incoherent? Had Darien done something to hurt her? Her heart clenched painfully. "Odango," she managed. "Why are you here? How did you get here?"

"I don't know why," the blonde whispered. "I was pulled here. Like the other times."

That distracted the Starlight from thoughts of Darien. "Pulled here? What other times?"

Serena curled into herself, and her face became pale and colorless once again. "It doesn't stop…" she murmured. Then she gasped, and her voice became panicked as she asked frantically, "Seiya, what's the date?"

"On Earth, it would be late fall, about a year after we left. Here, it's only been three months. Let's see…it would be about October, I think." Fighter could not follow this conversation at all.

"Oh, gods…" Serena whispered. "That was where it started."

"Odango, for the love of God, start at the beginning. What happened?"

"I was in a car accident…"

"Are you hurt?" Fighter felt her heart miss a beat, and she pulled Serena to her and examined the blonde's face and head for injuries.

"I'm fine," the blonde whispered. "But my mom…I should have died…but I didn't. Something happened, and I traveled back in time or something, then reappeared outside the wreckage…something's screwing up Time, and I have to stop it…" Serena gasped. "Is Kakyuu-hime all right? Has anything happened?"

"It's quiet here," Fighter said soothingly. "Now relax, and tell me what happened, from beginning to end." The raven-haired woman wondered if she shouldn't call Maker. Clearly, something had happened, and whatever it was had Serena shaken up…badly.

**βϘ¥βϘ¥βϘ¥βϘ¥βϘ¥β**

Serena wished that the ground beneath her would open up and swallow her. However, her wish did not come true. For a long time, she could not bring herself to look at Fighter, but when she did, the love in those midnight blue eyes caused her to come almost completely undone. Her emotions were running rampant, and all she could manage to articulate to Seiya were bits and pieces that she was certain that no sane person could possibly make any sense of.

She wished she could stop trembling. So far, things had gone better than her imagined worst-case scenario. However, her fear of what she had to face, as well as her fear of Seiya's hatred for her, left her shaking like a leaf. Where was Wolf? Surely he should have found her by now…

Fighter's voice became soothing, and Serena forced herself to listen. What she heard made her tremble again. Seiya wanted to know the whole story…but how could she tell Fighter about the Void? She had been sent here for a reason, and the Powers had told her that the Void was responsible in part for her time jumping. What if something was about to happen? She couldn't let the Void get Fighter or the others…she had to protect them. But how? Unaware of what she was doing, she let herself sink against Fighter, and rested her head on the raven-haired beauty's shoulder.

"I'm frightened," she murmured.

"It will help if you tell me what's going on," Fighter replied softly over her head. "I won't let anyone hurt you." As if to confirm that, arms circled her waist and held her, and Serena closed her eyes, imagining how different things could have been.

Just as quickly as the temptation arose, reminders of her duty sprang up, and Serena pulled away, trying not to notice the flash of pain that appeared in Fighter's eyes. "Something's gone wrong with the fabric of the universe," Serena said, standing and walking to the window. "There's this…well, force, I guess, that is eating away at the foundations of Time by altering certain events that keep the balance between Dark and Light intact. This force is normally dormant, but every so often It wakes up. As a rule, this isn't a huge deal. Safeguards are set in place to keep the force in line. However, for some reason, the safeguards have failed this time around. If the foundations of Time collapse, the universe will descend into Chaos, and after a while, not even that will remain. There'll just be…well, nothing. "

"But what does that have to do with anything?" Fighter asked. "I mean, if that's true, I guess someone has to fix it, but what does it have to do with you?"

"There's another power that came from the destructive force I mentioned, and it is basically what created the universe. Apparently, I have some connection to it, and I have to fix the problem. To do that, I have to travel through time. The thing is, I have no control over when I go or where I go, and my clothes don't always survive the trip."

"Do the others know about this?"

"No. They don't even know I travel. I'm kind of afraid to tell them, and furthermore, I'd just confuse them if I tried, because they'd never remember that I was gone, even if I disappeared for a year, because when I get back, I end up reappearing a few minutes before I last traveled." Serena sighed. "I might be thirty by the time this is over, and everyone else will still be the same age. I don't know how I'm going to explain that!"

"Well, you could always try a de-aging potion," Wolf suggested from off to the right.

Both Fighter and Serena looked up. Fighter eyed the man warily. Was he going to hurt Serena? He looked dangerous, and the dark-haired woman felt a sense of apprehension. Serena simply glowered at him and said, "You're late."

"Sorry, Princess. It's just that it's hard to travel several light years across the galaxy _and _pinpoint your exact location _and_ end up in the right time period, _and_ not crash land on this planet." Wolf flashed a grin that seemed…well…wolfish…and Serena continued to glare at him.

"Don't look at me like that. I got here, didn't I?"

` Serena folded her arms across her chest, cocked an eyebrow, and, when she was sure that Fighter wouldn't see, flicked her eyes in the noir-haired woman's direction. Wolf suddenly looked sheepish.

"Oh, right…" He turned to Fighter and said, "Please pardon my intrusion."

"Fighter, this is Wolf. He's _supposedly_ here to help me with my task." Serena's tone was so pointed it was impossible to miss the hint in there. With one last reproachful look at Wolf, she excused herself in order to regain her composure/

Fighter looked the man up and down. She didn't trust him, and the thought of her Odango (where'd that thought come from?) being alone with him made her skin crawl. 'She's too trusting,' she thought worriedly. 'But if he's bad news, how can I protect her? I can't time travel, and I wouldn't know where to look.'

Wolf seemed to know what she was thinking. "Relax. I'm not interested in her the way you think. I'm just making sure she doesn't get killed before she finishes her mission."

"And what about after?" Fighter asked.

"I'll disappear, and she can go on with her life."

The noir haired woman raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Really?"

"I am a man of my word."

Fighter would have loved to ask Serena if this was true, but the blonde had a tendency to be too trusting. Then again, considering the latest developments, that might be a false notion. The Moon Princess had shown flashes of intelligence and intuition tonight, and there was no longer any certainty that she was as clueless as she appeared. Fighter simply had no idea what to think anymore.

Serena reappeared, now in control of herself. The blonde sat down beside Fighter, and Wolf turned his attention to her.

"Did you explain why we barged in so rudely?" he inquired.

"I did." Serena turned to Fighter. "Forgive me for being so vague, but I'm only beginning to understand it myself." This was partially the truth, Serena mused. 'After all,' she thought, 'Any more information could endanger her, and that is something I will not permit.' The "complications" could include assassins sent by the Void or worse.

"Odango, are you telling me everything?" Fighter asked, searching the blonde's face.

Looking her in the eyes, Serena replied, "As much as I am able."

Fighter's eyes narrowed slightly. "That doesn't answer my question."

The blonde smiled sweetly. "Yes it does. I'm telling you everything I know." 'Everything but the nitty-gritty details,' she added mentally. 'And let's face it; it's silly to nitpick or argue semantics. They aren't important.'

Wolf watched the exchange, and thought, 'Careful, Princess. You're not lying outright, but you're getting close. Those half-truths won't stop hold her off forever.'

Fighter searched the blonde's face, and felt a stab of concern when she could read nothing. This wasn't the girl she knew. What was she hiding? Wolf cleared his throat, and both the Moon Princess and the Starlight turned to look at him.

"As much as I enjoy seeing two old friends reunited, we need to talk," Wolf said, face suddenly looking grim…or as grim as his face could be for someone as stoic as he.

"Do you know why I was…er, called here?" Serena asked.

"Yes. It was why I was so late getting to you," Wolf replied. "You both might want to sit down."

Fighter seated herself on her bed, and Serena appeared as though she intended to stand, but a motion from Fighter had the blonde seated beside her. "So, what's going on?" Fighter asked.

"How fast can you evacuate the planet?" Wolf inquired.

"Why do you need to know?" the dark haired Starlight asked.

"Is it that bad, Wolf?" Serena asked worriedly at the same time.

Wolf addressed Serena first. "Yes." He turned his eyes to Fighter's. "I need to know because the sun in your solar system is going to become a red giant in a matter of hours."

Serena gaped at him, speechless with horror, the blood draining from her face. Fighter went pale as well, and managed to get out, "How?"

"It appears that somehow, the stellar evolution has been sped up." Wolf gave Serena a significant look that Fighter, in her numb shock, missed. "The sun here should not have entered this phase for another five millennia, but due to tampering with the structure of Time, well…"

"Is there any way we can prevent it?" Serena asked in a small voice.

"You could stop it if we had enough time to train you how to use your powers, but with things as they are right now, it's impossible. The effort involved would kill you."

"How do you know that for sure, though?" Serena argued. "I mean, I've survived some seriously crazy stuff, and I have trouble walking across a flat, level surface on a daily basis. Just tell me what I have to do, and I'll do it."

"Out of the question," Wolf replied tersely. "You're too young, and you have only barely tapped into the full potential of your powers. This won't be the last battle, and I will not have you dying now, so early in what is going to become a war. The universe needs you."

"You've barely known me for two days, Wolf! Fighter and the rest just got their home back, and I'm not going to let them lose it again! I think I know my limits better than you."

Wolf turned away briefly, resisting the urge to sigh. He had failed to realize how headstrong his charge would be. Couple that with the fact that her love's home was in danger…what an impossible situation! He could not let her die, but if he simply hauled her off to a different time, she would most likely ensure that he did not have another peaceful moment. He glanced over at the two on the bed, to find Fighter whispering to her.

"Serena, if evacuating the planet is the best course of action, we'll do it. I'd never forgive myself if I let you die. If you spoke to my Princess, she would say the same thing," the dark haired girl murmured in the blonde's ear.

Serena shook her head obstinately. "I'll make it work…I always do. You don't need to worry about me." She raised her voice a little. "I'm not a child, and I can take care of myself." Those words were clearly for Wolf's benefit.

Fighter raised her eyebrows. 'Has she always been this stubborn? Oh…what a stupid question…yes!' She tried a different tactic. "Do you have any idea how your friends would react if they were to hear about this and find out that I let you endanger yourself?" 'Maybe that will make her stop and think clearly,' she thought.

Unfortunately, Serena dug her heels in deeper. "We're all the way across the galaxy. They won't find out. Besides, you're currently arguing with me about why I shouldn't do it, so you couldn't possibly have _let _me endanger myself. You can say that you tried to stop me, but I was simply too headstrong. That way, they know I brought it on myself."

"Serena," Wolf said. "Think carefully. You pretend otherwise, but you are no fool. Your friends would most definitely find out, and they would come here. If anyone made it sound like you brought it on yourself, they would start a war."

"Why are we assuming that I'll die? Honestly…in this time, I am on Earth, and exactly where I'm supposed to be. Since I'm from the future, if I were to die in this time, while my past self is still alive, she…I…would continue to exist, and therefore, no one would find out. Besides, how do we know that I'll die in the attempt?"

Both Wolf and Fighter opened their mouths to argue, but someone knocked on the door, effectively silencing everyone in the room. Healer's voice sounded, "Fighter, you in there?"

"Lady of Light," Serena breathed. "Things just got even more complicated."

**To all of my wonderful reviewers who have questions about Wolf…sit tight. It'll take me a while, but I will tell you who he is…when I get started, though, it'll probably take at least five chapters, as I'll give it to you in bits and pieces. **


	11. Chapter X: The Will of Serenity

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Ten: The Will of Serenity**

**AN: **Whew! Another chapter is finally making it onto the Web. Sorry for the wait, everyone! Pre-Calculus is a cruel taskmaster.

Fighter froze at the sound of Healer's voice outside her door. How was she going to explain this? Serena and Wolf exchanged glances, and in rapid, frenzied gestures, the two began to formulate a last-minute explanation for their presence. Healer knocked again, the sound louder this time. Fighter felt beads of perspiration forming on her forehead. How in the name of all the powers in the universe were any of them going to explain this? The sun was about to go supernova and kill them, and they had to get out of here! Furthermore, Serena was here without any of her guardians, which would be considered strange no matter where you were in the universe.

"Fighter?" Healer called again.

Fighter glanced at Wolf and Serena. Wolf was apparently still arguing with Serena, and losing, judging from Serena's obstinate expression. "_Will you two quit arguing?_" the raven-haired woman hissed almost inaudibly.

"_He started it,_" Serena hissed equally quietly.

"Fighter, if you don't answer, I'm coming in, whether you like it or not," Healer threatened.

Wolf growled, "Serena, we need to get out of here. Fighter can explain things. You are not strong enough to use the power required to stop this yet, and you'd be a fool to try."

Serena lifted her chin, and a fierce light gleamed in her eyes. "Then I guess I'm a fool, because I'm not leaving. I'm staying here and finding a way to defuse this situation before a bunch of lives are destroyed."

"Fighter, I mean it," Healer warned.

"Sorry, Healer, I was sleeping," Fighter blurted in desperation, and both Serena and Wolf stopped their whispered argument long enough to make faces at her. _I was desperate,_ she mouthed.

"Well, you're needed out here. An emergency meeting's been called."

"What for?" Fighter asked, even though she had an idea already. Wolf and Serena exchanged glances, and Serena continued to silently argue in favor of her idea using gestures. Wolf argued equally silently against the idea.

"The sun's gone supernova," Healer said glumly. "It looks like we'll have to get out of here. And we just got back!"

Serena shot Wolf a look that quite clearly said _I told you so._ Wolf's jaw tightened slightly, and he shook his head _no_ firmly and decisively in a way that should have left absolutely no room for argument. Serena simply raised her eyebrows at him in a way that indicated that she was not going to give this up without a massive fight.

Fighter, meanwhile, sighed. "I know," she said. Both Wolf and Serena's heads snapped around to look at her.

"How? You've been asleep!" Healer replied dubiously.

"Actually, I haven't." Fighter went to open the door, glancing at her two uninvited visitors.

Serena simply nodded, and Wolf closed his eyes briefly, clearly having given up maintaining any sense of order at this time. The raven-haired woman opened the door, and Healer stepped in. When she saw Serena, her eyes widened, and she wheeled around to face Fighter.

"What's _she _doing here?"

"I had a little accident involving time travel/teleportation," Serena informed the silver-haired Starlight. "I'm sorry I barged in like this. I really couldn't help it."

Healer turned to face the blonde. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"It's a long story," Serena sighed. "And I really don't have time to give anyone the explanation that they deserve. I'll be more than happy to explain it all later, when I nip this issue with the sun in the bud."

Fighter groaned, and rubbed her temples. She could feel a headache coming on. "Odango, for the thousandth time, you aren't doing that!"

Wolf seconded this. "Princess, I know that you want to help, but you aren't strong enough. You will be eventually, but right now, you aren't. Not yet. Now, come on. We need to get out of here."

Healer's eyes flitted from Wolf to Serena to Fighter, and it was clear that the Starlight was becoming steadily more confused. "What exactly is going on here?" she demanded.

"Well, I keep getting tossed through time and space, and I'm supposed to stop this thing that's apparently equivalent to some massive black hole from sucking the universe out of existence, and apparently, it's currently trying to destroy Kinmoku," Serena explained, staring with sudden interest at the floor. "And Wolf's apparently here to help me, but instead, he's arguing with me and telling why I shouldn't do this or that."

"Excuse me for trying to keep you from killing yourself," Wolf grumbled.

Serena raised her head to look at him, and he took a step back. She heard both Fighter and Healer inhale sharply. "Wolf, I have never walked away from someone who needs help before, and I don't aim to start doing so now." Her voice rang out, clear and authoritative, the voice of a girl no longer, but that of a queen. "If I leave now, I would turn my back on everything that I believe in, and I would regret it forever.

"I understand the risk to my safety," she continued, "But I have faced impossible odds before. Why should I not withstand them again? If you truly wish to aid me, then come with me, and help me to do what so clearly needs to be done." She softened her voice then. "Please…I do not wish to quarrel with you. Help me, Wolf." The change in her tone had clearly done something. She could see Wolf's resolve wavering.

"Is that your will?" her companion asked after a short period of silence.

"I would not force you to go against your own will, but I would greatly appreciate your assistance," she replied. Serena had no idea where these words were coming from. It was as though they had been sitting in the depths of her soul, resonating for centuries…and now, they were free to be expressed.

"Then I will go with you…my Lady."

Serena felt confusion well up inside her. She was used to his casual way of addressing her as 'Princess', or jokingly calling her 'milady', but the way he sounded now…it was almost as though he were a knight pledging himself to a lady, in the romantic style of the Middle Ages. Her eyes were drawn to Fighter and Healer. Both of them were looking at her with something like awe. As she turned her eyes back to Wolf, she happened to see herself in a mirror.

With a start, she realized that she had become Serenity. And her locket was, as far as she knew, on the floor of her bedroom on Earth…in her own timeline. So she'd done it under her own power. Well, that explained the gasps of the two present Starlights and Wolf's sudden change in attitude from sometimes almost condescending courtesy to subservience.

Her form as the Moon Princess had changed a little, though, she noted with a faint stirring of surprise. The crescent moon insignia of the Moon Kingdom glowed on her forehead as always, but a delicate gold diadem set with tiny diamonds and rubies rested lightly on her brow. Her dress resembled that of her future self, Neo-Queen Serenity, except that a pattern of gold-flowered embroidery now shimmered around the bottom of her skirts and at the waistline. She had little time to ponder the change, as Wolf recovered himself.

"Shall we go, then?" he asked. His tone was brusque as usual, but a hint of deep respect now lay beneath it.

"Yes, I think we had best take care of business before the situation becomes any worse."

Wolf leaned close and whispered, "To teleport, focus on where you want to go, and want it desperately. Now, we both know that we want to be near enough to the sun that we can fix the problem, but we_ don't_ want to be so close that we get barbecued."

Serena nodded, and focused on her goal, closing her eyes as she summoned the power that she now felt singing in her veins.

**βϘ¥ϘβϘ¥ϘβϘ¥ϘβϘ¥Ϙβ**

Fighter mentally sighed as the argument between Wolf and Serena continued. This was not helped by the fact that Healer was hissing in her ear that they (Fighter and Healer) ought to just leave the two debaters alone and figure it out themselves; the two were too busy arguing to get anything done!

When had Serena become so obstinate? Granted, she'd been stubborn, but that had kept her alive in the battle with Chaos. But this new obstinacy, this almost suicidal willingness to try and alter a natural phenomenon was new. Fighter knew perfectly well that even though her Odango pretended to be hopelessly dim, she was not so big a fool as she wanted to let on. The raven-haired woman had seen sparks of a perceptive soul under the dumb-blonde façade. But this…she could suddenly see why the Outers practically stalked the blonde. It was becoming clear that unless you sat on her—figuratively and possibly literally speaking—she would run off and land herself in all manner of bad situations. Suddenly the Outers' overprotective attitudes made a lot more sense.

Serena was now rubbing her temples and clearly running out of patience. Even when she was being an obstinate pain in the ass, she was adorable…Fighter shook herself. Now was not the time to go into an infatuated daze. She had to keep Serena from running off and doing something stupid.

The raven-haired Starlight jerked out of her thoughts when she heard Serena say, "And Wolf's apparently here to help me, but instead, he's arguing with me and telling me why I shouldn't do this or that." She mentally cheered at Wolf's calm response.

This elation did not last long. A soft glow outlined Serena's form, and as the blonde lifted her head, golden light washed over her, changing her into the Moon Princess…with some changes, Fighter noted distantly. She had very little time to take it in, as Serena began to speak. As the raven-haired woman listened, she wondered when the girl had become so mature. Had this been happening gradually, so no one noticed, or had it happened here and now, right this moment?

The sudden transformation had clearly affected Wolf as well; he was listening in shock, and staring at the girl as though he hardly recognized her. Fighter knew the feeling. It felt uncomfortably like when she had found out that her Odango was actually Sailor Moon, except that that last incident had led to weeks of tension between the two groups of Senshi. This incident would not…instead, it would probably result in war if Serena…Serenity…had her way and didn't survive the effort.

She saw Wolf close his eyes, and knew that he had finally given in. He leaned close to the blonde and whispered something in her ear. The Moon Princess nodded, and closed her eyes. Seconds later, both disappeared in a swirl of silver and gold lights.

"We're screwed," Healer sighed, and walked out.

Fighter rolled her eyes and followed. "No, we're not. It'll be fine." 'I hope,' she thought. 'Please let her get back safely.'


	12. Chapter XI: The Rising Sun

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Eleven: The Rising Sun**

**Serena: **You are jumping all over the place with this story.

**Starlily11: **I can't help it! It _is _a time travel fic, after all!

** About 1,000 Miles from Kinmoku's Sun, Same time as last Chapter**

When Serena opened her eyes, she and Wolf stood side by side, hovering in space. In the distance, she could see Kinmoku's sun, and suddenly understood what had cause Wolf to be so worried. She could feel the tension radiating from her companion, and resisted the urge to take his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. That would be very odd, and it simply was not the time or place for that sort of thing. Instead, she focused on the quickly changing sun.

The blonde found herself thinking that this was probably how Superman's planet, Krypton, had been destroyed. Hadn't something in that story mentioned that something was screwy with the sun then? Realizing her thoughts were wandering, she forced herself back to the present situation. A little voice in the back of her mind whispered something about manipulating the time stream around this area. But how did she do that?

"Wolf?" she murmured.

"Yes, Princess?"

"I need to freeze the flow of time for a while near the sun. How do I do that?"

"Look for the power inside you. Feel for it. When you find it, concentrate on what you want to do and _want _it. Want it desperately."

"How do I look for it?"

Wolf sighed beside her, and was silent. After several long moments, he replied, "Do you remember how you teleported to get here? Well, you managed to find your power then. Do what you did to teleport, but this time, focus on freezing the time stream around the sun."

Serena closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She felt the power she had been granted as the Moon Princess rising inside her. Behind that, she felt something even stronger, brighter than the light she had managed to find inside herself than before. She reached for it, and it hummed in her veins, begging for release, to do her bidding. The blonde focused on what she wished to do, showing her power the idea in her mind. The hum in her veins grew louder, and rushed out. She heard Wolf speak softly.

"So far, so good," he whispered. "Be careful not to drain yourself completely. You won't like the consequences if you do."

It briefly occurred to Serena that perhaps she ought to stop and think this through. What exactly did Wolf mean by 'consequences'? She felt her power falter, and quickly returned her thoughts to the task at hand. When the hum in her veins quieted, she opened her eyes. Time around the sun had stopped. 'Trista would have a cow,' Serena thought with a grin. Messing with time was never a good idea, according to the time soldier. 'But the Void's been screwing with Time for God-alone-knows how long,' Serena reasoned. 'I'm just fixing it.'

"Wolf, what do I do now?" she asked.

"It's the same process you use to teleport and stop time. Look for your power, and tell it what you're trying to do. It works the same way for everything, actually."

"Then why in the name of the Lord and Lady of Light did you make such a fuss?" She demanded, turning to face him.

Wolf's face was stoic as usual, and he replied, "You'll see."

Serena let out a little growl, and turned back to the sun, reaching for her power again, and calling up a picture in her mind as to what she was planning to do. The hum in her veins grew and swelled to a massive crescendo, and as she closed her eyes, she saw a river of gold, white, and silver sparks flowing from her skin to their destination.

**ϗϧϸϗϧϸϗϧϸϗϧϸϗ**

**Back at the Palace, on Kinmoku Proper**

Healer and Fighter made their way to the council chamber at a fast run. If they didn't do something, they might have a war on their hands. Despite Serena's insistence to the contrary, if the Outers found out about this, things would get _very _ugly. They had to do something. "I don't trust that guy," Fighter stated.

"What guy?" Healer asked distractedly.

"The guy with O-, Serena." Fighter blushed. She'd almost said Odango. "There's something weird about him."

"Serena seemed to think he was all right."

"Her judgment hasn't always been spot on, though. That's what I'm worried about."

"We can't worry about that now. We need to tell Kakyuu-hime what happened so we have a reasonable explanation for the Outers as to exactly what their Princess was doing here and why in the hell we let her go."

"I hope she's okay," Fighter worried.

They reached the doors to the council chamber and Healer turned to Fighter. "Is there anything that we need to know? Like what exactly Serena was doing in your room?"

"I'm really not entirely sure," Fighter answered honestly. "I mean, she started out just kind of rambling, and the information she _did_ give me was so vague that I don't think it would help much. She seems to think that something is messing with the time stream, said something about a balance, the possibility that the universe might descend into Chaos, and that she had to fix it. There was also something in there about time travel and teleportation...she said that she had to keep traveling through time, and that her clothes never managed to make the trip…" Fighter made the last part a mumble, blushing furiously as she recalled Serena's naked state. "That was it," she finished lamely.

Healer sighed. "Do her Senshi know about this?"

"If I had to guess, I would say not. I mean, you saw the character she was with. Why him and not Pluto or one of the others?"

"Yeah, something's going on here that we don't know about, that's for sure."

The two entered the council chamber, where Princess Kakyuu, Maker, Galaxia, and a few others sat, discussing their options. When they entered, everyone fell silent.

"It's about time," Maker said. "What took you so long?"

"Serena showed up unexpectedly," Healer replied. "And she's gone off to stop the sun from exploding."

Maker's eyebrows shot up her forehead, Kakyuu's eyes widened, and Galaxia stared in disbelief. "Okay, you've lost me," the golden-clad soldier said. "What does the Moon Princess have to do with this?"

"We're not sure. All we know is that she showed up in Fighter's room with a vague, half-baked story about something messing with the timeline and that a man was with her, apparently for the purpose of protecting her. It wasn't Darien, either. And, like I said, she's gone off to stop the sun exploding."

"And she's going to get herself killed!" Fighter worried.

"Slow down, please. Why don't we start at the beginning?" Kakyuu said reasonably. "Both of you, please explain."

Fighter began the tale, blushing slightly as she explained how she had come upon Serena. She glossed over the details, but her memory of the incident was all too clear, and she did her best to relate exactly what had occurred. Healer came in at her own entrance, and elaborated on some of the hazier details, as Fighter had become preoccupied with the resulting argument after what Serena had proposed to do. When it was through, those present looked chagrined to say the least.

"And she chose to completely ignore the risks?" Galaxia worried. "This Wolf character sounds shady, even if he did try to stop her. Who is he, anyway?"

"I wouldn't know," Fighter replied. "I just know what I heard."

"It sounds like Serena's hiding something. They both are," Maker mused. "Anyway, we ought to evacuate, and send someone after them…and prepare to explain what happened to the Outers if they show up."

"Indeed. Let us prepare for evacuation, and one of us needs to go after them and make sure-" Princess Kakyuu's statement was cut off as one of the Senshi who was keeping an eye on the current situation entered.

"Pardon me, Your Highness, but you need to see this."

"What's happened?" Kakyuu asked.

"The sun…it's gone back to normal."

"She did it…" Fighter breathed.

"Are you certain?" The Fireball Princess inquired, rising from her seat.

"Yes, Your Highness. Everyone's talking about it."

Everyone rose and exited the chamber to look. Sure enough, the sun had reverted to its original state. Kinmoku was safe. Serena had done it. But had she managed to do so and remain unscathed? Fighter knew that she should simply hope for the best and try to move on, forget the Moon Princess, and find someone more…available, but the noir haired Starlight could not bring herself to do so. 'Please let her be safe,' Fighter prayed.

**ϸϘβϘϸϘβϘϸϘβϘϸ**

Serena wished that she was dead. Her head felt like someone was digging an icepick deep into her skull and pounding it into her brain. The pain was so strong that she could see red at the edges of her blurred vision. The only thing that she could focus on was the pain in her head. She was vaguely aware of someone picking her up and carrying her, but she couldn't seem to call up an image of the one doing so. "Unnhhhh…" was about all that she could get out of her mouth, and she closed her eyes.

Something was placed against her lips, and a revolting smell assaulted her sense of smell, driving away the pain. "What the hell is _that_?" she croaked.

"Drink this," a voice ordered.

Serena turned her head away from the smell in response, or attempted to do so. Something prevented her from carrying out the motion. "No, you don't," the voice said. "You're drinking this. I know it smells awful, but it will help."

"Nooo…"

A soft grunt, and a gentle but strong hand forced her mouth open, and the smell grew stronger, but was replaced by the sensation of a truly foul-tasting mixture being poured down her throat. The blonde coughed and gagged, and when she opened her eyes, Wolf was smirking at her. With surprise, she realized that the pain in her head was significantly less. At her look of surprise, the smirk grew wider. "I told you so," he said.

"Shut up," she grumbled. "What was that poison that you shoved down my throat just now?"

"It wasn't poison," he replied patiently, as though explaining a simple concept to a backward three-year-old. "It was a draft made specially to remedy headaches caused by over extension of prematurely used power. I told you that you wouldn't like the consequences if you pushed yourself too far." His ocean blue eyes sparkled with amusement as he looked down at her.

"Where are we?" the blonde asked, by way of changing the topic.

"On an asteroid not far from the planet you just saved, Princess. Now, since we have finished our job here, I imagine that you're going to be taking another trip through time in a few moments."

"But I haven't told Seiya goodbye yet!"

"Princess, I'm sure you'll make another appearance here at some point. Your Seiya will be fine."

"Neither of them are mine," Serena said softly. "Fighter is not mine. Nor is Seiya. I cannot have either of them." The light that had shone so brightly in the blonde before had suddenly flickered and darkened, becoming only a soft glow, much like that of candlelight.

"You keep saying that. What exactly is so important that you're willing to sacrifice any chance of happiness that you might have?"

"You know so much about me; I'm surprised that you don't know the reason."

"Care to enlighten me?"

"You're a smart guy; I'm sure you'll figure it out." Serena picked herself up off of the ground and dusted herself off, and turned to look at the restored sun. The blonde smiled softly at the sight. "Be safe and blessed, Seiya," she whispered, almost inaudibly. "May the Lady smile upon you, and may you find someone who can love you in the way that you deserve." She turned away then, and felt the all-too-familiar tingle that signaled another journey through time. Wolf inclined his head, indicating that he would be along shortly after. Serena closed her eyes, and permitted herself to wonder what lay ahead for her.

**AN: **Really sorry about the wait…I've been busy with all sorts of school crap. And yes, **Marie1000**, that one bit from 'Walk Through the Fire' did come from 'A Great and Terrible Beauty'. I'm so glad that you caught on to that! I was hoping that someone else had read the books and would recognize it. I had that book on the brain when I was writing that fic.


	13. Chapter XII: The Heir Apparent

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Twelve: The Heir Apparent**

**AN: **So sorry for my lateness, things have been really hopping on my end, and my brain is being invaded by unwanted plot bunnies, so I beg the pardon of my readers for the delay. But, to make up for it, I'll start to unravel a little of the mystery that is Wolf.

_ Long ago, in the time of the golden race of man, when peace and prosperity were the order of the day, the gods smiled upon humanity. Great Helios, the sun, lit up the heavens during the day, and gentle Selene, his sister, illuminated the shadows of night with her soft glow, aided by her companions, the stars. Zeus and the Olympians had not arrived yet, and Kronos, along with his Titan brothers and sisters, held dominion over the universe. _

_ Men and women lived together in harmony. No one needed to lock their doors at night, for there was no call for thievery and envy. Everyone lived in prosperity, worshipping the deities who ruled over them, who in turn granted them bountiful harvests and those things which mankind required in order to survive. Greed was unheard of, and war was inconceivable. _

_ Unfortunately, all things must come to an end. Therefore, when mighty Zeus rose against his great father Kronos with the aid of his brothers and sisters, this golden race was completely destroyed in the resulting war. The Olympians then created the silver race, which was far inferior to the gold race. The people of this race were helpless and childlike for a century, living only for a few years after having finally reached adulthood, and so were destroyed, making room for the bronze race. The bronze race was worse than the silver race. They were barbaric and loud, crude and utterly without respect for the gods, whereas the silver race at least had shown some modicum of respect to their creators. The bronze race was not even that. Once again, a race was destroyed, ushering in our race, that of iron. _

_This race has brought us into an age of conquest. The gods are not important to us, for we have forced the earth to yield metals. Sailors have taken dominion of the seas. Correct moral behavior has all but begun to disappear, and we shall eventually destroy everything in our lives except pain and evil. When that time comes, Zeus shall destroy us all, and the time of mankind will be brought to an end. _

_While all of this was going on, Eos, Selene, and Helios retained their places in the heavens, and Selene gave birth to a line of descendants who would create the Moon Kingdom, and Helios and Eos both showered blessings on these children, who, they hoped, would restore order and balance where Chaos had crept in once again. At first, it seemed that their hopes would be realized. The influence of the people of the Moon Kingdom, or the Lunarians, as they came to be called, had a civilizing effect on the iron race. There came a time when the earth was united under one banner, and peace was once again the order of the day._

_Queen Selenity ruled the kingdom in the sky along with her husband, Aaron, a prince of one of the numerous star kingdoms that filled the heavens. They loved each other more than life itself, and under their reign, entire solar systems were united in harmony, cooperating as one body. Therefore, when Selenity became pregnant, how could they be anything other than overjoyed? _

_The Moon Queen gave birth to a son; Leonardo, or Leo, for short, named for the constellation of the lion. He was everything that a prince should be: strong, compassionate, firm but gentle, and it seemed that he reflected the best of both his mother and father. He inherited his father's facial features with his mother's fair hair and silvery-blue eyes. His nature also reflected this; his mother's wisdom with his father's ingenuity, her capacity for love with his sense of duty and honor, and so forth._

_Three years later, Princess Serenity was born. She was her mother in miniature, with only the slightest trace of her father's features in her. The King and Queen were overjoyed to have another healthy, beautiful child. Leonardo gazed down at his little sister, sleeping in her cradle, and solemnly swore to himself that he would protect her for as long as he lived. From that day forward, brother and sister held a special bond that all caused all who beheld it to look on in wonder._

_Leonardo never seemed to be jealous of the attention his little sister received as the baby of the family. On the contrary, he contributed to it! If Serenity could not be found elsewhere, it was common knowledge that she was sitting somewhere in the gardens with her older brother, listening to him tell stories of the distant past, which she loved, or convincing him to help her elude her nursemaids._

_Serenity was a soft-hearted child who wept to see anyone suffer. She forgave offenses immediately, and was always gracious and loving. Yet the Moon Princess was also somewhat immature and had a mischievous streak several miles wide. This was not helped by Leonardo, who took a great deal of pleasure in helping his little sister with her pranks. Even so, Serenity was a mild, even-tempered girl whose soul was so pure that it was a source of warmth to all of those near her. _

_In time, Serenity became a young woman, and it was decided that she must marry. The man chosen for her was Prince Endymion of the Kingdom of Earth. When Serenity heard this, she was troubled, but hid it from her parents, knowing that an alliance with Earth was necessary for the kingdom. She knew that her parents, if they knew, would cancel the contract, as they were unwilling to force their daughter to marry someone she did not wish to marry. However, this contract had taken years to create, and Serenity resolved to do nothing that would endanger the alliance. 'I will learn to love him,' she told herself._

_However, Prince Endymion was difficult to love. He was handsome, certainly, and he knew how to be charming and agreeable when it suited him, but he was the sort of man who can never be content with only one woman, and Serenity knew this, due to her abilities to see glimpses of the future and read the hearts of those around her. She kept this knowledge carefully guarded, knowing that if she let it slip, the hard work of her parents, her beloved brother, and the ambassadors would all be for naught. As time passed, Endymion revealed himself to be a devil with the face of an angel. He was careful not to show his true colors to the family of his fiancée and the public, but had no reservations about doing so to his fiancée. He knew that she would never tell them what his true face was; he had seen that she cared more for her family and kingdom than herself._

_The Prince of Earth haunted Serenity's steps constantly. To the casual observer, it seemed that he was simply being properly solicitous towards his new bride. However, this was not the case. Endymion was simply working to gain power over his future wife. When they were alone, he would whisper to her what he expected from her upon their marriage. At times, he would grip her by the arms so tightly that his hands would leave bruises. Serenity simply took care to hide them, and showed a smiling, peaceful face to the world. She appeared to be every inch the happy bride, but behind closed doors, when the lights died down and no one was there to hear her, she would weep from fear of what the future would bring._

_Despite Serenity's efforts, Leonardo noticed that something was wrong. He noticed that his sister's smiles were forced where they had once been genuine, and saw the carefully masked pain in her eyes. Furthermore, she had ceased speaking to him. They still spoke, but she had once told him everything. Now, it was clear to him that she was holding something back. The prince and heir apparent to the throne of the Moon Kingdom wondered if he had done something to make her suddenly distrust him, but when he hinted to her about this, she denied it so wholeheartedly that he had to believe that this was not the case. He watched his sister carefully, searching for some sign as to what ailed her._

_Eventually, Serenity made a mistake. She let her guard down for less than a moment, but Leonardo caught a glimpse of the dark bruises on her pale skin as she cast a glamour over them. The young Princess then found herself confronted with a livid older brother who was demanding to know who had done such a thing. She denied any trouble, and blamed her own clumsiness. Leonardo pressed on, however, insisting that mere clumsiness did not lead to the sort of bruises on her arms. Serenity, despite her aching desire to unburden herself to her beloved brother, forced more lies out of her mouth, swallowing the tears that threatened to choke her._

_The result was that brother and sister had a massive row, and Leonardo left with his father to fight with a persistent enemy before the conflict was resolved. This enemy was the ruler of a distant solar system, known for being a brutal tyrant. Lately, he had begun inching towards the Silver Millennium, and it was necessary to go to war. Serenity watched him go from the window of her chambers with tears streaming down her cheeks, longing to go after him and tell him all. But it was too late._

_Months later, Serenity had become the heir to the throne. Her brother and father were dead. The enemy had ambushed their forces, and the attack had been swift and brutal. The King had died trying to protect his son, and the Prince's body had never been found. Serenity was to be Queen of the Moon Kingdom, and Endymion was to rule alongside her. _

_Both the Princess and her mother were devastated. Serenity was inconsolable, and she wished more than anything that she had been able to resolve the argument with her brother before he had left. Selenity grieved deeply, but forced herself to carry on and continue to keep the kingdom on its feet. She turned her attention to her daughter, and began to groom her to become Queen. Serenity, however, fought this decision, arguing that she did not deserve the crown, and she would not take it, for it belonged to her brother. Selenity replied that she was the only heir that the kingdom had; her brother was gone, and she needed to understand that. She ignored her daughter's protests, and eventually, Serenity resigned herself to her role._

_Meanwhile, Beryl had been gathering her strength, and chose this moment to attack the Moon Kingdom and try to take Endymion, for she lusted after him. The kingdom was weakened by the death of its King; without him, half of the power that protected it was gone. Selenity did her best, but in the end, Beryl broke through, and killed the Princess and Endymion. Queen Selenity used her last breath to ensure the rebirth of her daughter and the man she thought, mistakenly, that her daughter loved. _

**AN: **Wow, that was one heck of a ride! By the way, all that stuff about races of man was an actual Greek myth. Naturally, everything with Princess Serenity and everyone is completely my idea. I'll give you two guesses as to why the heck there's a legend smack in the middle of the story. So, review, and please tell me what you think. You guys are the reason I'm trying to work past my writer's block. 


	14. Chapter XIII: Where the Hell is She!

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Thirteen: Where the Hell is She?**

**AN: **Another chapter has passed through the works and been published! I'm so glad that my brain is still working on some level…

**Earth, A Few Hours after Serena Disappeared, The Shrine**

"It was that new kid from Bangladesh," Amara snarled. "I _knew _there was something fishy about him!"

"We don't know that for sure," Amy protested half-heartedly. Amara shot her a glare, and the blue-haired girl dropped her eyes.

"I can't believe this…" Amara muttered. "How did we miss someone kidnapping our Princess right under our noses? I mean, she was home, and she spoke with Darien on the phone minutes before Luna got there and discovered she was missing…her father was downstairs, and Sammy was in his room, which is a few yards away…how did this happen?"

"We don't know for sure that she was kidnapped," Mina pointed out. "I mean, there was no sign of a struggle, and for all we know, Helios pulled her into Elysion for whatever reason," she said hopefully.

"It's possible, but very unlikely," Trista replied. "What reason would he have to do so?"

"Besides, she'd never leave without telling us," Rae replied. "And I've tried to call her. She's not picking up. She _never_ does that!"

"I'm telling you, it was that kid from Bangladesh!" Amara burst out. "It's too much of a coincidence that he turns up a few days before our Princess disappears, and the fact that he's gone too is _very_ suspicious."

"I know it's strange, but Wolf doesn't seem like the type. I mean, he looks kind of dangerous, but if you saw the way he looked at her, you'd know it wasn't him!" Mina piped up.

Everyone stared at the hyperactive blonde in confusion. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Michelle inquired.

"It's really hard to explain," Mina mumbled, blushing. "I mean, he wasn't looking at her the way Darien looks at her, or the way Seiya looked at her for that matter, but it was sort of similar…" she rambled. "I guess the best way to describe it is that he sort of just seemed to be watching over her, kind of like a guardian angel or something. I mean, he just seemed to be wanting to protect her, as crazy as that sounds."

"What in the cosmos are you talking about, Mina?" Lita asked. "Did you see something the rest of us didn't?"

"I thought it was obvious," the goddess of love replied. "I mean, I _am _the Senshi of love and beauty! He loves her, just not in the way that Darien and Seiya do. It's more like how a knight feels about a lady…you know how ladies back then had champions who fought to the death for their honor and all that? That's how he looks at her. If he has anything to do with this, I'd feel safer betting that he's trying to protect her."

"What the hell…" Amara shook her head. "That's just crazy."

"I know what I saw," Mina insisted.

"As fascinating as this concept is, we still have a problem. We need to find Serena and bring her back home safely," Trista broke in. "As long as she has her locket, we can find her."

"She doesn't have it, though," Luna pointed out worriedly. "It's in her room."

"Can't Trista check the Time Gate?" Rae asked with an edge of desperation.

"The Time Gate has been tampered with," Trista said grimly. "Something is altering the timeline, and no matter how hard I try, I can't pinpoint the source."

"Why do I feel like I've had this conversation before?" Mina asked. "I'm experiencing a major case of déjà vu right now."

"Yeah…it's weird," Lita agreed. "But Serena's never disappeared like this. Yeah, there was that time when Diamond kidnapped her, but we could still find her. But it still feels like this has happened before…"

"Maybe there's a connection between the force that is tampering with the timeline and Serena's disappearance," Amy suggested.

"But who'd do something like that?" Mina asked.

"Let's see; Wiseman is dead, Chaos is banished, Diamond died to save Serena, the Dead Moon circus is long gone, Serena healed Nehelenia with the Crystal, Kisenian is destroyed, Galaxia was brainwashed by Chaos but Serena saved her…we can rule out our enemies," Rae mused, counting them off on her fingers.

"You forgot Queen Beryl and that crowd," Lita pointed out.

"They're dead, too," Rae murmured absently, adding them to her mental list.

"So who've we got left?"

"Right now? No one. The only suspect we have is Wolf."

"Or Seiya," Amara muttered.

"We haven't seen them since they left, Amara," Mina pointed out exasperatedly.

"Where the hell is she?!"


	15. Chapter XIV: The Crystal Caves

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Fourteen: The Crystal Caves**

**AN: **I'm really sorry about the way I'm dragging my feet…this semester of school was a nightmare, but I graduated, and now I can get to work. Writer's block isn't helping much, either.

**Random Woodland Area, somewhere near Camelot, during the Reign of King Arthur**

Serena opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by trees. Birds sang sweetly, and the sunlight poured in softly between the branches above. As the blonde glanced around and regained her bearings, she confirmed her suspicion that she was indeed in a wooded area, and she could not guess how far she was from civilization. And there really was no telling how long it would take Wolf to arrive. It could be anywhere from seconds to hours.

As she continued to take in her surroundings, she noticed that a road was nearby, and moved farther back into the woods, where it would be harder for any passing traveler. The last thing she needed was to have someone see her like this and make positively outlandish speculation about her being a witch, a dryad, or something equally odd. There was simply no telling what could happen. She had little doubt in her mind that the consequences would be highly unpleasant if she were to be seen…particularly if she had ended up in a witch-hunting era.

A closer look at the road told her that she was definitely not in the twenty first century. It was a dirt path, really, not even a road, if one wanted to be technical. Still, judging from what resembled hoof prints and wheel tracks, it was a well-used path. Yet another reason to stay out of sight and lay low. Serena moved even deeper inward, just to be safe.

Five minutes later, she was beginning to get nervous. Where on Earth was Wolf? Was she even _on_ planet Earth anymore? Every rustle of the trees that towered above her made her jump, convinced that a bear or something worse had found her. 'Is it just me, or has the light gotten dimmer?' she thought. She glanced upward.

Sunlight still filtered through the canopy of leaves above her, but it did indeed seem as if the light had gotten dimmer. A stab of fear entered the blonde's heart. If Wolf didn't get here soon… 'It serves me right for trusting a stranger', she thought bitterly. 'Amara was right…I _am _too trusting. But it's never come back to bite me like this before.' Serena racked her brain to see when she had last been proven wrong, but found that most of those betrayals had been due to brainwashing, and the others had been a ruse, designed to help her defeat a villain. 'Perhaps he was delayed somehow,' the more forgiving part of her mind whispered.

But if this was true, what could be delaying him? What if something had happened? Serena placed a hand on her chest in a futile attempt to calm her racing heart. She sat down, deciding that it would be best to stay put for now. She had no idea where she was, and if she kept moving, she'd become hopelessly lost. And considering her recent run of bad luck…

**ϗϸϘϸϗϸϘϸϗϸϘϸϗϸϘϸϗ**

'Speaking of bad luck,' Serena thought grimly, 'I must have broken a mirror in another life, because it feels like I've had seven years' worth of it right now.' She had been sitting there for all of five minutes when it had started pouring down rain. Now, she was frantically searching for some kind of shelter. The only thought she spared for Wolf was 'I hope _he _doesn't get caught in this!'

Shivering, wet, and with her shoes soaked to the point of ruination, the blonde moved through the woods, praying for a miracle. She was in desperate need of one right now. Her shoes made walking even more of a hazard, so she stripped them off before moving on. As she took yet another step, her foot collided with something smooth, cold, and rock solid. Due to her inherent clumsiness, naturally, she tripped, scraping her knee when she hit the ground.

"Ouch! What the…?" Serena climbed to her feet, and her eyes found the object that had tripped her. It was a rock. And it looked strangely out of place, for it was white, and far smoother than one that she would have expected to find in this environment. And there was another one, further ahead! In the gloom and mist that had arisen in the rain, the white stones seemed to glow, and something told her that these were not your average rocks. In fact…at a closer look, they did not resemble rocks at all, but crystals.

The glowing stones seemed to grow even more numerous as her gaze continued to follow the trail. 'What have I got to lose?' she thought. 'I'll try anything at this point.' And so, with nothing else to do, she followed the path, and soon found herself at the mouth of a cave. Serena hastily walked in, for thunder and lightning had begun crackling and rolling through the grey sky in earnest.

The cave held more of the same white stones which had led her to this place, but crystals also lined the walls, sparkling fiercely in the brief but bright light provided by the lightning. "What _is _this place?" Serena whispered aloud, not expecting an answer.

Almost as if in answer, the crystals began to glow softly and steadily. The blonde Moon Princess approached one, and cautiously touched it. The moment she did so, it grew warm under her palm, and images flashed through her mind. She gasped, and hastily removed her hand from the object. Even so, curiosity led her to look carefully at the glowing crystal, and she could see tiny shadows of human beings and creatures of mythical times playing across the surface. In the silence, soft whispers seemed to flow through the cave, the meaning of which Serena could not quite grasp.

A small part of her shuddered and begged her to consider leaving…_now_. But the seed of curiosity had already been planted, and the Moon Princess abandoned any warnings that her Senshi might have placed in her mind. Carefully, she rested her hand against the crystal once again, and whispered, "Show me…" All around her, the crystals flared to life, and she fell into blue, swirling depths. She would not resurface for quite some time.

**βϗϸϗβϗϸϗβϗϸϗβϗϸϗβϗϸϗβ**

Serena jerked out of her trance with a gasp, and released the crystal from her grip. The moment her hand left its surface, the crystal went dark, and with it, all of the others that were in the cavern as well. It was suddenly almost unbearably silent…and dark. The blonde glanced about, disoriented, until she remembered where she was. She licked her desert-dry lips to moisten them, and found traces of salt from tears that she could not for the life of her remember shedding.

As she became more aware of her surroundings, so did her understanding of what she had just seen, and tears streamed from her eyes, following the tracks that had already formed on her cheeks. "How could I have forgotten?" she half-whispered, half-sobbed. "_Why_ did I forget?"

It all made sense now; Darien's sudden jealousy and general ass-like attitude, along with the feeling that she was playing the wrong role in the ranks of the Sol Senshi. Darien was only becoming the Endymion she had known in the Silver Millennium, and _she _should never have been in line for the throne. The title of Heir Apparent and ownership of the Silver Crystal rightly belonged to her brother…her poor brother who had died in battle before she could heal the rift between them. No wonder she was all wrong for the role!

"I'm so sorry, Leonardo," Serenity whispered. "Can you ever forgive your sister for forgetting you?"

The things she had seen in the crystal answered questions that she had asked in her heart of hearts, but never dared to ask aloud. Things that should never have been forgotten crashed down on her with all the force of a tidal wave, and with it, and understanding of just how terribly the future had been changed. The reign of Neo-Queen Serenity and Neo-King Endymion paled in comparison to what could have been had Leonardo lived. Crystal Tokyo was but a shadow of the shining kingdom that Leonardo could have built.

With this new information came a terrible clarity; the Princess of the White Moon could see everything all too clearly now. The Void had erased all traces of Leonardo from the universe and, even worse, from the memory of a sister who had loved him so well. And Serenity wept because of that. Her brother had lain in an unmarked grave for centuries, forgotten and un-mourned. And she, supposedly the brightest light of the universe—oh, how she laughed at that now!—had permitted that to happen.

"Forgive me, my brother," she whispered. "Mark my words; I will correct this somehow, and I _will_ find a way to repay the Void for such cruelty."


	16. Chapter XV: Serenity Dreams

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Fifteen: Serenity Dreams**

**Serena: **Finally! You FINALLY got around to remembering that you still have to finish this fanfic, and you're not even halfway through the plot!

**Starlily11: **I can't help it! I got sucked into Doctor Who and Sherlock, and I STILL can't figure out what Meega Nala Queesta means!

**Serena: **That last bit is from Lilo and Stitch…seriously, no wonder you have writer's block…you've spent the whole summer on Netflix, YouTube, and , as well as ogling Johnlock fan art from Tumblr. Get to work, already.

**Starlily11: ***sobbing* I have writer's block, and trying to write is like walking into a brick wall over and over!

**Serena: **Please…just try to write. It'll probably get easier as you go. The only cure for writer's block is to write. And for the love of God, lay off the Netflix!

**The Crystal Caves, Outside of Time and Space, the Edge of the Universe**

The force of the truth was so staggering that, even years later, Serena could never manage to adequately express the wave of emotions that crashed down on her when the vision ended. Nor could she even begin to explain how much this new piece of information changed her outlook on her role in the Sailor Scouts, her role as the Crown Princess; even her relationship with Darien made more sense.

The reason they hadn't gotten along in the beginning was because they had never done so in the time of the Silver Millennium. It had always been Endymion thirsting for power, and there had really been no love on either side of the match. No words existed to properly describe Serena's relief at this revelation. Her only regret was that it had cost her precious last seconds of time with her beloved brother, who, if Fate had been kinder, would have become King, and brought about a golden age that would have made Crystal Tokyo seem a pale comparison.

With new eyes, the blonde looked back on past battles and encounters with the Senshi. Traces of her brother still lingered. It explained why her role as Sailor Moon had never fit her as well as it should have, and why the Outers had been so unsure of her in the beginning. It was because Prince Leonardo had been the one to whom they had answered in the Silver Millennium. Oh, they had protected her as well, but in the end, they were supposed to protect the heir to the throne above all else. Even though Leonardo had been erased from memory, the old instincts had never truly faded.

The crystals around her still glowed steadily, and Serena could see more glimpses of other images playing across the clear, shining surfaces. "Why show me this?" she asked them softly. As if in response, the glow flickered once, twice. Three times, the light from the crystals faded in and out, and the soft hum that she had been hearing since she first entered the mysterious cavern grew slightly louder. It was almost like the crystals were encouraging her to look deeper.

The blonde Moon Princess hesitated. Should she touch the crystals a second time? The first time had been overwhelming…could she bear it again so soon after the first revelation? A voice that sounded eerily like Amara whispered, "Don't trust information that comes from a questionable source…especially if it gives information that seems outlandishly different from what you know to be true." Glowing crystals in a dark cave in the middle of a rainstorm most likely could be filed under 'questionable', the blonde mused. But still, what they had shown her held a ring of truth that she could not ignore, and her instincts were usually right.

'I have to know more,' she thought. 'I need more information…some clues about who Wolf really is would be nice.' Tentatively, she reached out to another crystal, and the moment her fingers touched the warm, hard surface, she was drowning in soft blue light, drifting through time and space, surrounded by stars. And as she drifted, she dreamed.

**¥ϯϸϯ¥ϯϸϯ¥ϯϸϯ¥ϯβϯ¥**

_The night was warm and clear, with a light breeze swirling over the Moon Kingdom. The night-blooming flowers in the gardens had opened their petals and were in full bloom, releasing an intoxicating scent that the breeze spread to every inch of the kingdom. Princess Serenity stood out on her balcony, breathing in the delicate scent and gazing at the Earth below. The Earth prince—she believed Endymion was his name—was coming to pay a visit in three days, and she wanted desperately to know something about her betrothed. _

'_Surely someone who comes from a planet that looks so peaceful can't be __**too**__ dreadful…' she thought. 'And Venus has seen him, and thinks him quite handsome.' Even so, a small part of her could not help but wish that she could choose her own husband. The moment this thought crossed her mind, she thrust it away._

_Her parents had worked long and hard to find a suitable match for her, and besides, they needed an alliance with Earth badly. She knew that they would not marry her off to someone that they thought might treat her poorly. Nor would they subject her to some horrible old man who was old enough to be her grandfather. That may be the way things were done in olden times, but it was not so today._

"_Trouble sleeping, milady?" a soft voice behind her asked. Serenity smiled, and turned to face the source; a dark haired man with ocean blue eyes that held a special twinkle meant only for her. _

"_Lyall…" she breathed his name like it was a prayer. "I am well; I simply have too many thoughts racing through my mind right now, and every single one demands my attention." She had no qualms about speaking her mind to this man; she trusted him as much as her own brother, and knew that he would never betray her. He was her knight, after all, her champion, sworn to protect her from harm. Over the years, he had also become her most trusted confidante._

"_Am I right in supposing that said thoughts concern a certain Earth prince?" he inquired, leaning against the wall. _

"_Yes; I know nothing about him, and while I know that Mother and Father would not dream of giving me to someone who would make me miserable, I still cannot quell the fear that he might turn out to be someone horrible."_

"_You and I both know that if that should be the case, your parents would not hesitate to end the engagement."_

"_But our kingdom needs this alliance so badly…and I am just one girl," she reminded him. "My happiness is worth nothing compared to the safety of tens of thousands."_

_In a gesture that most definitely crossed the line between what was proper and what was not, Lyall crossed the room in a few long strides and took her hand into his. "Not to me, Serenity," he murmured. "I vowed all those years ago to defend you…and you alone. You know I take that duty quite seriously. In a way, ensuring your happiness is protecting you, so…" he let the rest of that statement hang._

_The White Moon Princess leaned into him then, still clutching his hand. "What would I do without you?" she asked, rhetorically. _

"_You would still have your brother," he reminded her, withdrawing from the embrace. He had crossed a line and he knew it. The scandal that would result if anyone found them like this would bring only disaster._

"_We both know that Leo is kept busy with his other duties. He's the Crown Prince, you know, and he rarely has much time for me anymore. Especially not with the tensions between the Silver Millenium and the Shadowmasters." Serenity sighed, and turned her face out to the gardens once more. "He's been shut in there with our parents and the councilors for weeks," she said softly. "I can see the toll it's taking on him; it's written in his face. The last thing he needs is for me to add my troubles on top of everything else."_

"_You know how much he cares for you," Lyall murmured. "When you're with him, you're just as safe as you would be with me. He wouldn't rest until he was certain that you were with a man who would treat you well."_

"_And that is exactly what I am afraid of…he's got enough worries already. Besides, I am of age now. It's time that I learned to fight my own battles."_

"_You don't need to fight them all on your own, Serenity." Another breach of etiquette. Tongues would wag if the rest of the court heard a guardsman addressing the Princess with such familiarity. In this case, however, Lyall knew it to be a necessary breach. He was no longer talking as simply a guard; he was talking as a friend. "You have people to whom you can turn for help."_

"_I just feel useless…" Serenity whispered. "Leo works night and day to serve our kingdom and be the best future King he can be. Mother and Father do not rest until they know that the kingdom is safe, and that our people are well. The Senshi and the Argent Guard lay their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. And you…" she turned a tender gaze to her most trusted confidant, "You go above and beyond the call of duty to keep __**me**__ safe. I want to show that I am worthy of such care. As I am now, I am simply a Princess who attends court functions and Leo's little sister. If I can make this alliance work, I will have __**done**__ something…something __**useful**__."_

"_Princess…" Lyall took a step forward, his usually stoic face revealing a deeply perturbed expression. Once again breaking protocol, he knelt before her and clasped both of her hands in his, looking earnestly up into her face. "Do you really think so little of yourself?" he inquired softly. _

_ A look into the young, silver haired woman's cerulean orbs confirmed that, indeed she did. "Serenity," he spoke softly and fervently, "You are anything but useless. Need I remind you of the suggestions you've made that have turned into innovative and progressive programs to make the lives of the people easier? What of those? Need I mention that, if not for you, your brother would have fallen for that one Court weasel that was out to destroy the Royal Family? If you had not seen the signs and informed him before she got her claws totally into him, there's no telling what might have occurred._

" _You bring smiles wherever you go," he continued, " And it's common knowledge that you can be seen asking after the guards and their families, and that you personally visit each and every warrior that's been injured, and that you help to nurse them when you can. The people have noticed, and act that seem like common courtesy and simply the right thing to you are seen as great acts of kindness to them. They love you."_

"_I just made some suggestions to Leo," Serenity stammered, "And visiting the guards and helping take care of the injured…they have families that need them, and yet they lay their lives on the line to keep the rest of us safe! It would be monstrous if I didn't show my appreciation in some way! Besides, that woman that was after Leo would have left him broken, and he's my __**brother**__! He would have done the same for me."_

"_And that sort of attitude is exactly why the people love you. You don't do things because they're required. You genuinely __**want**__ to make people's lives better. You honestly care about the people, and anyone with eyes can see how much family means to you. Do you think even a small percentage of the rest of the Court is like that? Princess, you're worth more than the rest of every other member of Court combined. What will it take to make you see that?"_

_Serenity stared at him, rendered speechless. Lyall was unsurprised; he didn't give compliments lightly, not even to royalty. The words that had poured out of him would have been of absolute fawning proportions had it come from anyone other than him. _

_ "You honestly think that," she said finally, breaking the silence that had descended over them. She walked over to her bed and sank down onto it as if someone had kicked her legs out from under her._

_ "I never say things that I don't mean," he reminded her calmly, face stoic once again. "Someone needs to give you a legitimate compliment once in a while; not just the idle flattery you hear at court. Hopefully, coming from me, it will __**mean**__ something." With these final words, he resumed his post at her bedroom door, and Serenity was left to think on her loyal guard's words._

**§****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****§****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****§****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****§**

The crystals around her were still glowing brightly, and Serena remained in her position, looking around sleepily. The crystal under her hand grew cold, and she knew that it was time to continue on to another. As though a force was guiding it, her hand moved to an ice blue crystal, and as her fingers brushed against it, the humming sounds that had not ceased since she first began learning the truth of her past turned into a never-ending chorus that held her immediately in thrall. Her eyes drifted shut, and the dreams came once again, with the steady humming of the crystals lulling her into a deep sleep that she would not wake from until this crystal had had its say.

**§****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****§****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****§****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****§**

_Serenity crept back to her rooms, taking care not to be seen. She'd managed to evade Lyall's ever-watchful gaze earlier, but it would only be a matter of time before he found her. He __**always**__ found her. She needed to get to her bedroom and replace the glamour over her bruises before anyone saw and realized what was happening. If she failed, the truth would come out, and the much-needed alliance with Earth would become unsalvageable. _

_ Endymion was a devil with the face of an angel, she thought darkly. And he was remarkably clever at hiding it. He was boundly determined to gain complete control over her, but she refused to be conquered so easily. The best way to retain her autonomy was to pretend to be meek and submissive, but carefully plant the seeds in his head so that said permitted autonomy appeared to be his idea._

_ The Princess of the White Moon sighed. She had gotten far too good at deception for her liking. No one seemed to realize what was truly happening. Not that she __**wanted**__ them to realize, of course. The Moon Kingdom and the Silver Alliance needed this, and she would__** not**__ let her people down. Endymion was a cold, deceptive bastard, but she could be just as clever as he. She would meet his attempts at domination with sweet, meek entreaties and apologies for imagined slights. If he raged at her, she would weep softly and pretend to be a deeply devoted future wife who was hopelessly besotted. Whatever storm came at her, she would weather it, and come out the stronger for her efforts. _

_ Even so, she wished that he would not grip her arms quite so hard. The bruises on her arms came in layers, one on top of the other. She knew it would get difficult to hide the fact that she was using glamours…her parents and brother were not half-wits, and neither was Lyall. The four of them were quite capable of spotting someone's use of glamour if they felt there was a reason to look, and Serenity had to admit that she had been slipping lately. She had noticed Leonardo giving her furtive, searching glances earlier today, and it had been nigh impossible to escape Lyall's watchful eyes; far harder than it had been last week. If she did not tread carefully, all of her hard work would be for not. She __**would**__ make this work!_

_ So wrapped up was she in her thoughts, that she somehow managed to miss the fact that Lyall was now directly in her path until she had crashed into him. She would have fallen had he not gently gripped her by the arms and held her upright. However, her bruised arms cried out in protest even to his gentle touch, and she let out a faint gasp before she could stop herself. The minute the sound passed her lips, her eyes flew to his face, and she prayed to any gods that might be listening that he had not heard it._

_ However, her guardsman's hearing was remarkably keen, and his eyes immediately focused on her arms and wrists. Very gently, he lifted one injured arm into the faint light. Pale skin mottled black and blue was now visible to both. Lyall's eyes narrowed in sudden fury. "Who did this?" he asked quietly. Venomously. His usually calm, even voice had been replaced by a quiet hiss, barely intelligible due to the pure rage that pervaded it. _

_ Serenity bit her lip, and tried to think of an answer, but could find not a single one that she could reasonably expect Lyall to believe. He knew her too well. She lowered her eyes to the floor for the first time since she had met him, unable to look her loyal guardian in the face._

_ "Answer me," he said tersely._

_ The Moon Princess kept her eyes fixed on the floor, unable to lift them to his face. The bruises on her arms stood out glaringly, an ugly display of faded color interrupting flawless ivory skin. For the first time since this all began, she felt a deep sense of shame. 'Or perhaps it was always there, and I chose to ignore it,' she thought mournfully. Her dark secret was now in plain sight, and nothing she could do or say would stop Lyall from learning the name of the one responsible, and nothing she could do or say would stop him from taking a thorough vengeance._

_ "It was that Prince, wasn't it? __**Wasn't it?!**__" Lyall's voice was still that awful, angry hiss._

_ Cold fear flooded through Serenity, and she remained rooted to the spot, unable to even lift her eyes. Cool, gentle fingers cupped themselves under her chin, and she found her head being raised. Before she knew it, she was looking into the ocean blue orbs of the man who had protected her and been her closest confidant other than Leonardo for over six years._

_ "Never in all of this time have you failed to be anything other than honest with me," he said softly. The anger was gone, replaced by a deep sadness. "Now, you can't even look me in the face." Sighing, he released her, and stepped back two paces. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

_ "We need this alliance," she replied calmly, her voice betraying only the faintest tremor. "No one was supposed to know. I can handle Endymion; he's fairly easy to manage once you learn what does and doesn't make him tick. I have everything under control."_

_ Lyall simply glanced at her bruised arms. "Your arms tell me otherwise. I will be speaking with your brother in the morning."_

_ "Don't you __**dare**__!" she hissed. "This is my fight, and mine alone! You are __**not **__to tell anyone about this!" Realizing that her voice was growing a little too loud, she lowered it to a whisper once again. "That is an order," she said steadily, looking Lyall in the eyes for the first time tonight. She saw his jaw tighten, and a flash of emotion in his eyes that she could not quite read, and she knew that something had broken between them._

_ "As you wish, Your Highness," he replied coolly. _

_ Serenity walked past him, and into her bedchambers, closing the door behind her. That night, she had the worst sleep she'd had in years._

_ Tears streamed down Serenity's face as she gazed out of her window. First, she'd lost her guardsman (and dearest friend), and now she'd lost her brother. Both were heading off to a final, desperate battle with the Shadowmasters. The Crown Prince, the King, and the Princess's Champion were all off to war, along with any member of the Argent Guard that could be spared. The alliance with Earth was intact, but the cost had been her relationship with her brother and friend._

_ The row with Lyall had been terrible, but after Leonardo found out two weeks later, that argument seemed like child's play. He had raged for hours, and their combined shouts had most likely kept half the palace awake. Lyall had simply stood unobtrusively in the doorway, looking at her with reproach. She'd been frustrated with both of them at the time; couldn't they see that she was trying to do what was best for the kingdom as a whole?!_

_ Now, however, she felt only regret for her stubbornness, which was why she sent a telepathic message to Lyall, praying that he would hear her, despite the fact that she had lost any rights she had to ask anything of him. +Please…keep him safe,+ she whispered to him. There was no answer, and Serenity started to let out another sigh, when Lyall suddenly turned his gaze to her window. He met her eyes, and gave one small nod, still moving forward. Serenity wept, and prayed to the gods to keep them all safe. 'Lord and Lady of Light, please guard them well,' she prayed with a fervor to match that of Deucalion and Pyrrha. _

_ One by one, the three men she loved most turned into mere specks on the horizon, and Lyall was the last to fade into the light. 'Gods guard and keep you, my brave wolf,' she thought, and turned away to let the full storm of her tears take control._


	17. Chapter XVI: The Princess's Champion

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Sixteen: The Princess's Champion**

**AN: ** I apologize for being so slow to update lately…I just started college and took on 17 credit hours, and the workload has left me with barely enough time to breathe.

**The Edge of the Universe, Outside of Time**

All around him, there was nothing but stars. Some of them could have been planets or suns, but he was far too occupied with watching for shifts in dark spaces between the stars, for that was where his foe lurked. The attacks had been getting more frequent since his charge had become aware of her abilities, and continued to increase in number. Oftentimes, he wondered how long he could continue to keep the attacks confined to this space, allowing his young charge to sleep peacefully at night. If she knew the truth…well, it was better not to worry about those events which had not yet occurred.

'Watch the shadows'…Eos's warning echoed in his mind once again, and he once again cursed past events for stripping him of his memories. He could not for the life of him remember the events leading up to his awakening in the Citadel of the Three Divine Lights, known to the Greeks as Selene, Eos, and Helios. None of the three had been particularly forthcoming. Every time he inquired as to why exactly he was there, they would simply tell him to wait…there was a time for everything. And then, they had proceeded to set him a task; to guard the Princess of the White Moon, also known as the Silver Lady, from the Shadowmasters which sought to destroy her. The only other information they had given him besides his task and those pieces of information he ought to know about his charge was a name; Wolf. One day, they had promised, she would be able to restore his memories to him.

To give her due credit, Serena was progressing rapidly. She'd wielded a massive amount of power to save Kinmoku…more than she should have been able to at her current level. He'd been almost certain that she would burn herself out, and yet the only indication that she'd overreached had been a skull-splitting migraine that could be numbed by a simple healing potion from the Citadel. Honestly, he'd expected to have to use something stronger. Either the Three had dramatically underestimated her abilities, or something had occurred to increase her endurance tenfold overnight. Despite his natural tendency towards pessimism, he found himself beginning to hope.

The warrior's thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he saw one of the shadows move out of the corner of his eye. He promptly turned his focus to that point, and the shadows moved once again. With one hand on his sword, he waited, refusing to let this game of cat and mouse unnerve him. One false move was all it would take to bring disaster, and he knew better. Shadowmasters in general could leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth, but these in particular were bad news. Wolf knew that he was the last line of defense between Serenity and the ones who sought to bring about her destruction.

'How the Shadowmasters have managed to fade away into folklore and legend,' Wolf thought grimly, 'Is anyone's guess.' Once, they had been the scourge of the universe, and, in fact (though very few knew this), had been mostly responsible for the fall of the Silver Millennium. Queen Metallia's merging with Beryl had simply finished the job. By the time those two had arrived, the power of the Silver Millenium had been all but shattered, due to the fact that the King and Crown Prince were dead at the hands of the Shadowmasters…Wolf cut these thoughts off at the roots as the enemy in the shadows prepared to strike. He tightened his grip on his sword, and his hidden foe leapt out of the shadows with demonic speed, attacking with a brutal level of force.

In all honesty, it was only thanks to the advanced training from the Three that he was able to withstand such an assault. Even the strongest, most physically fit human male would have at least been winded by the first blow alone, and by, say, the fourth blow, he would have been down for the count. Mercifully, thanks to certain enhancements provided him by Selene and Eos, Wolf was not in such a sad state. When the impact came, he stood his ground, and parried the blade of his opponent for approximately three moves more before sensing an opportunity to strike.

"You cannot stand against us forever," his foe hissed. "My people have been closing in on her for centuries…when the time comes, her light _will_ be extinguished, and there is nothing in this universe that you can do to stop it."

Wolf had heard such threats against his charge time and time again, and had simply written them off as the ramblings of a frustrated enemy. Even so, there was always an irritating little stab of fear for the petite and deceptively fragile-looking blonde. Something deep in his gut cried out for him to return to her side, that his place was there rather than here on this dark plane, fighting one of the most ancient of evils. However, he always quashed this urge, and so he did again, in the here and now. The blonde would be in danger even if he chose to follow the tiny voice of a long-faded instinct. At least if he remained here to fight, there would be one less threat. Besides, the universe could not afford for him to coddle her. In the end, she would be the one to stand against the Shadowmasters and lull the Void back into slumber. With these thoughts prominent in his mind, Wolf tightened his grip on his sword and blocked another blow.

"You really should consider staying closer to your Princess, _Champion_," the Shadowmaster taunted. "Who's protecting her while you're here fighting me? My brethren could be killing her as we speak."

Again, a cold feeling took hold of him, and his stomach twisted with a fear that was completely uncalled-for. The thought had crossed his mind, but he'd always dismissed it…his young charge had handled several trips through time on her own and clearly made it through in one piece. Still…now that she was beginning to unlock her full potential…

'Enough,' he told himself, dodging a swipe of the enemy's sword. 'He's only trying to distract you. Serena is perfectly capable of looking after herself for a short time. Do not let him into your head, or you'll lose, and then she'll be dead for certain.' He locked blades with his opponent, automatically placing the two of them in a deadlock. Neither fighter was willing to budge even a centimeter, and only the sound of the locked blades scraping against each other broke the silence that had suddenly descended upon them.

Wolf strained against his opponent's blade, sweat forming on his brow. The smirk on the Shadowmaster's face unnerved him, and all of his instincts were screaming at him to return to Serena's side. His heart pounded in his chest, and the tiny voice in the recesses of his mind—the one that said his place was at the side of the Moon Princess—seemed to grow louder, whispering insistently of vows that he scarcely remembered making, of promises that seemed to have been made lifetimes ago…of an entire life that had always seemed to be little more than a barely remembered dream.

Eons seemed to pass, with that tiny voice—though not quite so tiny now, Wolf noted wryly—growing louder by the second. Everything in him screamed with the need to return to Serena's _(no, __**Serenity's**__) _side. His very blood was burning with instincts that had lain dormant for far too long, and they were determined to have their say. With great effort, he slammed the door shut on those instincts…he couldn't afford to listen to them at present. All at once, his heart rate returned to normal, and no more sweat formed on his brow. 'Good,' he thought, 'No distractions.'

Wolf slid his sword out of the deadlock, aiming for the hilt of his opponent's sword. Unfortunately, his opponent was prepared for this, and countered Wolf's attempt to disarm him.

"Oh, don't try to hide it, Champion," the Shadowmaster taunted. "I can taste your fear, just as I tasted your despair on the fields of Luighseach so many centuries ago. You're the one the universe forgot…along with your fallen Prince."

'Shadowmasters lie,' Wolf chanted in his head. 'They'll say anything to get the upper hand…Shadowmasters lie…' He had no idea what this creature was rambling about, yet at the word _Luighseach_, something deep in the recesses of his soul twisted in pain and regret, and the taste of failure, though distant, became present on his tongue. Ghosts of memories danced just out of his grasp, taunting him, and ever elusive. "I really don't understand your kind's need to natter on incessantly during combat," he replied, with far more coldness than he felt (he was slightly preoccupied with slamming a mental door on the cold twisting in his gut), and continued, "Really, not only is it pointless, it means I'll kill you faster, just for the sake of peace and quiet."

"Oh, have I struck a nerve? I'm only speaking the truth," the Shadowmaster grinned.

Wolf never did know what gave him away…a twitch of a facial muscle, perhaps, or some other small detail, but either way, the Shadowmaster's grin transformed into a smile full of something like wonder, and twisted glee. "By the Void…you don't remember, do you?"

"Hold your tongue," Wolf warned, but his adversary was beyond silencing at this point in time.

"You've forgotten _everything_," the Shadowmaster chuckled. "Oh, now _this_ is simply _priceless_…you have no idea who you really are. The universe has quite the sense of humor, it seems!"

Wolf had had enough. With brutal accuracy, he aimed for the hilt of the other's sword again, and this time, his attempt succeeded, and the enemy's sword flew across the empty space in which he had remained for just a little too long for his liking. In one more swift motion, he sent the chuckling Shadowmaster's head rolling. His enemy was now silent. 'Peace at last,' Wolf thought blackly, and, sheathing his sword, turned to go. He had a future savior of the universe to protect.

**AN: **Sorry this is so short, guys. I'll try to make the next one longer. Lately, I've had to use up my creative juices in creating sufficient amounts of B.S. for English term papers.


	18. Chapter XVII: Knowing

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Seventeen: Knowing**

**AN: **Winter finals are over, and the holidays are at an end, so I finally found some time to write. Writer's block is killing me, and so is the workload from college, as well as my current obsession with the Damon/Elena pairing from the Vampire Diaries.

Upon waking from her latest crystal-induced trance, Serena immediately sensed that something was not right. With each new memory that she recovered, her abilities from her former life also returned. Rising from her prone state on the cavern floor, she became aware of a dark presence that inched ever closer. It was not upon her yet; the power of the crystals kept it at bay for now. Even so, she knew it would not be wise to tarry here much longer. But how could she make her escape? Whatever had come for her was at the opening through which she had entered…perhaps she could try a teleport…the Moon Princess closed her eyes and concentrated, reaching for her power.

Alas, this cavern blocked the dark presence, but it did the same to her powers. Where she could usually expect to find the wellspring of gold, white, and silver light that signified her power, she met only with a stone wall. Serena hastily quelled the panic that threatened to rise within her. Yes, her powers had been rendered useless, but she still had the use of both legs and arms, as well as that of her eyes. Taking in three deep, calming breaths, she examined her surroundings carefully, searching for another way out of the cavern.

The walls around her held row upon row of glittering crystals, and the blonde searched for a break, for some kind of opening that could help her put as much distance between herself and her pursuer as possible. Finally, she caught sight of a rather large crack in the wall off to her right. It was not particularly wide, but if she could squeeze through…it was a bit tight, but she managed, and cleared the opening without suffering any injury. More crystals lined the walls, but she could clearly see the openings of several tunnels.

The blonde searched all of these openings for some hint as to which one would lead her out of these caves. She searched for light that was not caused by the crystals, for any sign that could possibly help her, but found nothing. Taking a deep breath, she chose one at random, prayed to all the gods she knew that she would not become hopelessly lost, and ran, disappearing into the shadowed archway. The presence she had sensed before was weaker, indicating that, at the very least, she had managed to put a small distance between herself and her pursuer.

Serena ran for what seemed like a century, but in reality—as her logical side so kindly pointed out—had most likely been mere minutes. She turned around, looking back the way she had come. The crystals had clearly gone dark with her leaving, because the way behind her was as dark as what lay ahead. The blonde gulped. 'There's no telling what's up there,' she thought. Fear crashed down on her as she finally realized her situation with a terrifying clarity.

Here she stood; she was a sixteen year old girl in an unknown time and place, knowing next to nothing about her current location, save for the fact that it was obviously a network of caves with magical crystals in one cavern. It was dark, and she was standing here in a pitch black tunnel with an unknown pursuer behind her. She glanced downward, and added another item to her list; she had no shoes, and loose rocks had cut her feet to ribbons. She'd been so busy running that she hadn't noticed until now. 'It's the perfect setting for a bad horror movie,' she thought grimly, 'And I'm the girl who gets eaten within the first five minutes!'

Carefully, the blonde took another step forward, wincing as she felt the sharp edge of yet another loose rock cut into her bare foot. "There's no way to go but forward," she said aloud, and jumped at the sound of her own voice breaking the silence. She took another step, and another…heading ever deeper into the unknown. Silence fell once again after her initial statement, and gradually, her eyes became used to the darkness. The dark presence she had felt earlier was on the move behind her, and this hastened her steps. Every shadow seemed to hold a threat, yet the blonde continued to walk forward.

Serena felt herself longing for Wolf. 'No, _Lyall_,' she corrected herself. How had he survived the war? The reports of the battle had indicated that he was dead, but, like her brother, his body had never been found. There were no words to describe the joy she felt at knowing that he'd survived; however, he was not the man she had once trusted with her life. He did not remember her, and a small part of her, one that belonged to Serenity's heart, was relieved.

They had not parted on the best of terms…in fact, when he left, she'd been certain that he would never forgive her. His promise to guard Leonardo was made not for her sake, but for the sake of keeping his vow to serve her. Their friendship had been broken the day she used her rank to silence him. Of that much, Serena was certain. In the past, she'd been equally certain. There was nothing she would like more than to go back in time and silence her past self. She had created a rift between herself and two of the three men that she loved most, and she had never had the chance to make amends.

'And now, I never will,' she thought mournfully. The loss of both Lyall and her beloved brother had left an open wound on her heart that had never quite healed. Now, Lyall had been returned to her, but he had no memory of her. In fact, it was clear that he had no memory of the Silver Millenium. Lyall would never have let her talk him into standing by while she channeled an amount of power that could have burned her alive. Lyall would have challenged Darien to a duel the moment he heard the word 'whore' directed at her, and the threats Darien uttered in her direction would have surely led to his death.

'I was a fool,' she thought bitterly. 'A fool. I was _so sure_ that I could handle him. Granted, I can…but it's tiresome, and what has it really done? Nothing! In fact, our farce of a relationship has brought almost nothing but trouble since day one. Crystal Tokyo might _seem_ a utopia, but how am I to raise a child with someone as jealous as him? How could the two of us possibly rule a kingdom without killing each other? My stubbornness cost me my brother and my best friend…and all of my attempts to do what seemed right led everyone I loved to ruin…

'How can anyone expect me to save the universe? I all but killed everyone I hold dear! I tried to do what was right by learning to live with Endymion, and I lost Lyall and my brother. Beryl's jealousy of our so-called marriage destroyed the Moon Kingdom and killed my mother! My inability to lead effectively has killed the Senshi time and time again. Gods, Chaos destroyed half the galaxy before I managed to stop it!'

"So how in the hell did the Powers come to the conclusion that _I_ could save the universe?" she asked herself.

"That will not be a problem for you for much longer, Princess," a voice hissed from the shadows.

Her heart in her throat, Serena turned to face the source, realizing with horror that the dark presence she'd felt earlier was still behind her, but someone else had caught her unawares. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and she could make out a man's silhouette. The speaker's gleaming, soulless black eyes revealed that she was now within reach of a Shadowmaster. With a gulp, she raised her hand defensively, reaching inside for her power. This time, she could access her power…but her power was almost gone. Sparks flew from her fingertips, but that was all. Her efforts on Kinmoku had drained her, and she was now defenseless.

Her enemy smirked. "What was that supposed to do?"

Serena forced her mouth to form a smirk as well. "Nothing. I wouldn't waste my power on worms like _you_. I've got better things to do. That was a warning to respect my personal space."

The Shadowmaster howled with laughter. "Oh, you're a feisty one! It'll almost be a shame to kill you."

"Believe me, you don't want to attack me. I've got plenty of power, and if you press me, somebody's going to get barbecued." Desperately, she tried again, and a small, flickering flame blossomed into being on her palm.

"Oh, I know for a fact that you're all tapped out. Stopping time and reducing a sun gone supernova can be quite the drain. And I also know that your guardian—Wolf, was it?—is otherwise occupied at the moment." The Shadowmaster stepped closer to her, and Serena instinctively stepped back.

"Why not make this easier on yourself?" he suggested in a falsely amiable tone. "I promise that if you don't struggle, it won't hurt." At the blonde's incredulous expression, he amended, "Much."

"You've had plenty of time to kill me already," she choked out. "And yet, this is the first I've seen of you."

"We _do_ have an honor code, you know," the Shadowmaster sniffed. "It would hardly have been sporting to kill you while you were stumbling through time and space without a clue of what you were doing. Hardly a fair fight."

"How honorable," Serena bit out, barely managing to hide her sarcasm. She willed the flame in her hand to grow brighter, but instead, it was slowly fading. "Still, as you said, I'm tapped out, and I don't even have a knife to my name. As you said earlier, 'Hardly a fair fight.'"

"Even so, you now know how to use your power, and you knew what you were getting into when you saved Kinmoku. Knowledge is strength, too…and you humans are so resourceful. You now have a small amount of leverage."

"Ah." Serena tried to discreetly locate a sharp rock. Perhaps she could at least give him a nasty cut before he killed her…she found nothing. Her enemy advanced, and her heart thundered in her ears. Silently, she apologized to the ones she was about to leave behind…as well as the universe for her massive failure.

She'd lost the war before it had even begun. A small, yet very loud part of her screamed, '_Run_', but her legs refused to comply. Instead, she closed her eyes and prayed that her death would come swiftly. She heard the sound of a sword being drawn, and braced herself for the pain that would surely follow. She felt the _whoosh_ of air as the blade swept downward, and she knew that she was going to die.

The blow never came. The sound of clashing metal caused her eyes to fly open. Someone had come to her rescue. Serena felt her legs give out beneath her as she recognized Lyall's silhouette. She would know him anywhere. He had finally come. Her heart continued to beat, but it no longer threatened to pound its way out of her chest.

"Cutting it a little close there, weren't you, Champion?" the Shadowmaster taunted. "Any slower, and I would have had her."

Serena made a mental note to herself to do better with conserving her power in the future. It was true; if Lyall hadn't arrived when he had, she would have been dead. She also rose unsteadily from her prone position and moved a little further away from the battle. If either Lyall or her enemy had noticed, they didn't show it.

"I was detained by one of your brethren," Lyall responded coolly. "He, like you, refused to shut up."

Serena felt a shiver run down her spine. She'd always hated the tone Lyall was currently using. It was the tone he'd used when they first met, so many years ago...in the time of the Moon Kingdom. He'd been about fourteen then, deeply wounded by the loss of his family in the war against the Shadowmasters, and she had been only a little younger. During the rare moments he spoke, his voice had always been cool and detached with a slight underlying bite, much like now. When she'd earned his friendship, she had thought she would never hear that voice again. Until the night she'd pulled rank on him…the night he'd discovered the bruises Endymion left whenever he touched her. Then, that tone had returned, and she knew that she'd lost him. That tone meant certain death for enemies, and also—though very few people knew it—signaled one of two emotions; hurt or deadly anger. Either way, it was never a good thing.

From her place off to the side, Serena could see Lyall's stance. Every muscle was poised for battle, and every move his opponent made was easily countered. Metal met metal every time. In the past, it was times like these that had reminded the Moon Princess that Lyall was not simply her friend; he was her personal guard…and he took his job more seriously than almost anyone else could boast. The particularly loud clash of swords jolted her back into the present, and she changed her position once again in order to avoid being caught in the middle of the fight. Just as she settled against a stone wall once again, a new sound reached her ears…the sound of metal cutting through flesh. She turned her attention to the two fighters once more, and as she had guessed, Lyall was the victor. Carefully, wincing at the pain in her feet, she took a few steps forward. Lyall, knowing the threat was past for now, turned to face her.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied simply. Serena found herself unable to say much else, in light of what she had just learned here. Until she found a way to restore her once-protector's memories—and she would do so eventually, even though it surely meant she would lose him once more—it was best to carry on as they had been. For now, calming the Void and avoiding more run-ins with the Shadowmasters took precedence. Perhaps, once they found somewhere safe, she would be able to start the arduous process of finding the spell that would restore Lyall's memories, and, while she was at it, uncover exactly what had become of her brother.

Restoring memories was a tricky business; Serena knew that she could not simply snap her fingers and return his memories to him. If she were to do that, the chances that it would backfire were enormous. The mind was a delicate thing, after all, and it was best to be gentle when handling anything within it. She would have to scope out the damage first, and determine whether the memories had been forcibly removed (in which case, she would have to start from scratch and rebuild them somehow), or simply forced deep into the recesses of his consciousness (a little less difficult than building new ones, but still an unbelievably tricky process). Then, she would have to get her hands on some old grimoires and pray that she could find something in them that resembled spells for mind healing. Restoring memories was, in essence, a form of mind healing. All memories left traces, even if they'd been ripped out of someone's consciousness. In such cases, there were always remnants floating around somewhere. And once she'd done that, she would have to modify the spell to suit her purpose, and _that_ would involve searching through more grimoires.

Serena felt the beginnings of a headache making themselves known. She now had all of the knowledge of her past self, Princess Serenity, and apparently, Serenity had spent quite a bit of time studying magic and the like. Briefly, she wondered what kind of magic had allowed the crystals to restore _her_ memories without any harm coming to her. However, this line of thought came to an abrupt halt when she thought of Wolf, or, as she now knew him, Lyall. She _had_ to restore his memories, and quickly. He would hate her, but in this, she and Serenity were in agreement. It would be multiple levels of wrong to keep him in the dark. Knowing what she now knew, it was all too clear that her former friend had not even the slightest inkling who he'd once been, and knowing what Lyall had been like so many years ago, it had to be tearing him apart to not know such crucial information. Furthermore, at this stage, it could only help, especially now that the Shadowmasters had made their move.

Lyall's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "We should leave this place," he said calmly.

"How do we get out?" Serena asked. For the first time, she wondered how he'd managed to find her.

"The same way I came in. I'll show you." He started to head in that direction, and a thought seemed to strike him. "What were you doing here, anyway?"

"It started to rain," she deadpanned. "It was either this or get soaked. I chose to take shelter here, and before I knew it, I was cornered." That was true enough; granted, she'd left out several key details (such as the crystals in the caverns behind her), but it was all that Lyall really needed to know right now. Besides, there was no time for a real explanation.

Lyall raised an eyebrow, indicating that he suspected there was more to the story than that, but he didn't press her. Instead, he turned and started to lead her out of the caves. That in itself was yet another change; before the mess with Endymion and the fall of the Moon Kingdom, Lyall would probably have given her a proper chewing-out for getting herself into such a perilous situation. Actually, she probably would never have been in this situation to begin with...

'Stop it, Serena!' she chided herself. 'Quit looking back on the past and focus on the present!' Shaking her head a little to cut off her stream of thoughts, she followed her protector out of the caves, pondering exactly how she would fix this latest mess that life had thrown at her. She would have plenty of time with her thoughts; neither Lyall of the past nor Lyall of the current time were particularly talkative unless she started a conversation. 'There has to be a way to fix this,' she thought. 'There has to be!'

**AN: **Thank you, my beloved readers, for your patience with me. It's become difficult to find time to update and write lately, and I'm trying to work through an awful case of writer's block. I'm sorry to make you all wait for so long between chapters, but know that appreciate everyone who follows, favorites, or reviews. You all help encourage me to fight my way past whatever wall is in my head at the time, and so I extend my thanks. Just know that I WILL eventually finish this story…I swear it on the heads of Joss Whedon, Naoko Takeuchi, Steven Moffat, and Mark Gatiss.


	19. Chapter XVIII: Under the Shadow

**Out of Time **

**Chapter Eighteen: Under the Shadow of the Hawthorn**

**AN: **Sorry I haven't updated for three months…just so you know, I'm not dead, just trying to make the Chancellor's list again.

Serena followed her Champion out of the caves in silence, stepping gingerly so as to avoid placing pressure on the cuts that marked nearly every inch of her feet. Wincing as rough stone scratched against yet another cut, she otherwise kept her eyes fixed on Lyall's back, and heaved a mental sigh of relief when stone gave way to grass. The grass itched, but it was bearable. Logically, the Moon Princess knew that all she had to do was say the word, and Lyall would stop so that her injured feet could be tended. However, with the memories that had been restored to her in the caves that she had recently vacated came a sense of shame.

In a way, she was indirectly for her knight's current state, and the shame of this knowledge was, at this moment, so strong that she felt she could never look the man in the eyes again. And so, she tried her best to keep up with him, and to draw as little attention to herself as possible. She continued to keep her eyes on his back, and made careful note of what she saw. For instance, judging from the tension in his posture, the adrenaline from the Shadowmaster's attack still needed a little more time to settle. He most definitely was not in a talkative mood, she concluded. That was fine by her.

Of course, Serena realized that her intense focus on Lyall, the tension in his muscles, and the resulting mood was an effort to ignore the growing pain in her injured feet. She'd already deduced his mood, so it was now time to turn her attention to other details. With her eyes, she carefully traced the outline of his profile, taking in everything from the gentle wave of his hair to the almost criminally delicious curve of his… 'Serena, stop ogling him,' the proper, well-brought-up part of her shrieked.

However, the part of her that had a deep appreciation for the male form and all its assets had taken control. 'I'm betrothed, not dead,' this part retorted. 'I can look all I want.' Besides, it was a welcome distraction. Despite her earlier protestations to the contrary, she _did_ find Wolf to be remarkably attractive. This, of course, wasn't helped by her past self, Princess Serenity, who had harbored a rather immense crush on her guardsman during her adolescence. Not that she had ever acted upon it for fear of losing her friendship with him. Right now, that crush was threatening to make a comeback.

The Moon Princess finally tore her eyes away from her Champion, and took a moment to examine her surroundings. Trees towered above her, their numerous branches and thick foliage blocking most of the sun's rays, but the few that crept through the canopy coated leaves in gold, and created small pools of light on the forest floor. She knew she would have to step even more carefully now, since the ground was littered with twigs and fallen leaves. Briefly, she wondered how long they'd been walking, and wondered if they would stop soon. Almost as if he'd read her mind, Lyall suddenly stopped, casting searching glances this way and that. Serena sent tendrils of her remaining power out, searching for danger. The response was immediate; her power collided with another.

This power was different; it didn't have the darkness of the Shadowmasters tainting it, but it was unlike anything that she'd seen before. It was old: as old as magic itself, the kind that could be found in nature, the kind that drove the natural forces of this world. It was not the restrained, carefully concentrated magic of the Silver Millennium, nor was it the chaotic magic of the Black Moon Clan, Nehelenia, or even that power which had corrupted Galaxia. This power was wild, and would most likely wield the user rather than the other way around. Whatever it was, it reacted to the presence of her own power, and Serena could have sworn that she felt a swell of…hope, if such raw power were capable of feeling. She quickly broke the connection, and joined Lyall in observing their surroundings.

The forest seemed, for all intents and purposes, to be completely deserted save for the trees and the resident wildlife. Nothing seemed to be amiss. The woodland creatures bustled about, chattering to each other, the birds had not gone ominously silent like they did in the movies when something was wrong. There was no sudden darkening of the sky, nor an unexplainable change in the weather. Sunlight continued to creep through the spaces between the leaves, creating intricate patterns and pools of light in various places. 'Perhaps it's just residual nerves,' Serena mused silently. 'That's perfectly normal; after all, I _was_ nearly killed today.' With that thought in mind, she returned her attention to Lyall, who took one last glance around the wood, and then turned around to face her.

"We'll stop here for now," he said. His eyes narrowed as he noticed her feet. For a fleeting moment, Serena caught a glimpse of real emotion on his face, a mixture of concern and…was that guilt? The look was gone as quickly as it had come. "Let's tend to your feet," he said softly.

Casting her eyes about, Serena found a tree stump, and sat down carefully. Lyall carefully lifted her right foot and began tending the injured appendage. Ever so gently, his fingers probed the wounds, yet Serena could not keep from wincing as they found a particularly nasty cut. He murmured a quiet apology, and continued his work. He had finished the right foot and begun the left when he finally broke the silence.

"What were you doing in those caves, anyway?" he asked.

Serena hesitated briefly before answering, "It was raining, and I guess my instincts took over. I went in there trying to stay dry."

Lyall cocked an eyebrow. "When I got here, the rain had stopped, and you were pretty far into the tunnels for someone just seeking shelter." His tone was skeptical, and frankly, Serena could hardly blame him. If someone had given _her_ such a half-baked answer, she would have had a similar reaction, so she continued.

"When I entered the caves, some of the rocks started glowing, and I realized that they were crystals. Naturally, I got curious, and when I touched one of them, I guess I fell into some kind of trance…and in it, I saw…"

"You saw…?" Lyall prompted.

"I saw…well, it felt more like a flashback, really. A flashback about the Silver Millennium."

Lyall's eyes flashed with interest. "And?"

"I had an older brother, and _he _was the heir to the throne. I was betrothed to Prince Endymion of Earth, whom you know as Darien. I must say, the flashbacks explain quite a bit about the strangeness that is my life. Darien and I are so different, and yet we're supposedly the couple destined to turn the world into a Utopia? The way things are now, one of us is more likely to kill the other in their sleep! It also explains why I'm supposed to be a Queen one thousand years in the future, and yet I don't know the first thing about statecraft."

"What happened to him? Your brother, I mean."

Serena's eyes saddened as she remembered the fate of her brother. "He died. In a war with the Shadowmasters."

Lyall remained silent, and so she continued.

"I also saw some other things; Endymion was jealous, too, and abusive to an extent. The only reason I stayed with him was to cement the alliance between the Moon Kingdom and Earth; we needed it badly, and I felt that the safety of the realm was more important than my own happiness…" Serena sighed. "But I guess that plan was a bust, because Metallia possessed a woman named Beryl—who, unlike me, actually _wanted_ to spend the rest of her life with Endymion—and…well, let's just say that the Moon Kingdom is in serious need of repairs on all fronts."

"Then why do you stay with him?"

Serena bit her lip; she always hated answering this question, mainly because no one except the Senshi could understand the explanation. After a long silence which Lyall made no effort to break, she finally replied: "It's complicated," and winced internally at how unbelievably cliché that sounded.

However, Lyall's response reminded her once again that she was speaking to her long-time friend, despite the fact that he didn't remember their time together. It was so typically Lyall that she had to bite down on the inside of her cheek to keep a massive grin from spreading across her face. He looked her in the eye and said, "Try me." It wasn't a challenge, but rather an invitation to speak freely, without fear of judgment.

"It's a long story," she warned.

Lyall had just finished tending her injuries, and so he leaned casually against a nearby tree. "We've got time," he said simply.

"A few years ago, just after Darien and I got together, but before he started acting like a jealous control freak, a series of events occurred in the future which created shockwaves that resonated back into the past. Have you heard of the Black Moon Clan?"

At Lyall's blank expression, she knew that he hadn't.

"Apparently, in the distant future, Darien and I rule over the Earth, and have established a utopia, although, all things considered, it most likely isn't as perfect as it sounds. The Black Moon Clan is—was?—a family of exiles from a planet called Nemesis that my future self banished for one reason or another. As it later turned out, they were being manipulated by an entity known as the Doom Phantom—we first knew him as Wiseman—whose only goal was to open the Dark Gate—a portal of sorts to a mother lode of dark energy , absorb all of that power, and destroy the world. The Black Moon Clan gathered power for him because he promised to convince my future self to grant amnesty for the entire planet of Nemesis.

"The only way for the Doom Phantom to open the Dark Gate was if he managed to corrupt the energy of the Silver Crystal. My future self was hit by a blast of dark energy in an attack on the kingdom, and in order to save me…her, the Senshi had to freeze her in time, under a protective shield of crystal. During this battle, the Silver Crystal disappeared, and my daughter from the future was sent to my time by Sailor Pluto to retrieve it." Here, Serena stopped briefly, taking a moment to control her amusement.

"Naturally, for the longest time, not one of us, save Pluto, had any idea who she was. Bright Lady Selene, we fought like cats and dogs!" The blonde chuckled softly, shaking her head fondly at the memory. She quickly sobered, though, once she remembered later events. "Sadly, the enemy followed her to the past, and began collecting energy once again in an effort to open the Dark Gate and destroy the foundation of Crystal Tokyo before it even had a chance to exist.

"Darien and I were having problems—this was before he began to behave like his past self—in general, our relationship wasn't exactly the best. This rift could have been the death of all of us. To make a long story short, the Black Moon Clan, with some persuasion and exposure to the light of the Silver Crystal, joined our cause, and in the end, it turned out that the Silver Crystal from the future had hidden itself inside my daughter. With the power of two Silver Crystals working against him, the Doom Phantom lost the war, so to speak, and we haven't heard from him since.

"If I leave Darien, my daughter will cease to exist," Serena finished softly. "And I just can't do that to her."

"How can you be so certain that it is necessary for Darien to be her father and your King?" Lyall inquired. "Why not set him aside and marry a man of your own choosing? Surely it wouldn't have such an adverse effect on this future that you've described…in fact, if you married a man that you actually loved—that loved you in return—the future would probably be better."

"Destiny," Serena sighed. "According to Sailor Pluto, Darien's presence is crucial to the formation of Crystal Tokyo."

Lyall snorted. "Does she have any idea what kind of a marriage she's foisting on you? From what I've seen, the kind of relationship you and Darien have would create a toxic environment for any child—he seems to be the abusive sort—especially for a Princess of an apparently very powerful kingdom."

"It _does_ seem strange, now that I think about it," Serena admitted, shifting a little, and adjusting her position on the tree stump. "That she wouldn't know, I mean. But then, Darien didn't start becoming the way he is now until after the battle with Chaos. And, well…Endymion's true nature wasn't exactly known to very many."

"Chaos…is that the villain that led the Starlights to Earth?"

"Yes. And while they were there, Seiya fell in love with me. I rejected his advances, because I believed in Destiny, and that Darien was the one for me." Serena snorted, "And look where it's gotten me."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes. The thing is, I don't know if I love him romantically or not. He treated me better than Darien ever did—even before Enydmion began to surface—and the gods know that I hate myself for hurting him the way I did. I _do_ love him, but when I try to imagine myself with him, I just can't. There's just so much that's expected of me, and I'd always have to put others ahead of him, which is completely unfair. He deserves someone who can give him everything, and, well..."

"You feel like you can never give yourself to anyone so completely," Lyall finished for her, "Because of your obligations."

"Exactly," Serena sighed. "Someone would always end up with the short end of the stick."

Despite his best efforts, Lyall could not deny that his heart ached for the blonde in front of him. She was so young, and yet the universe had demanded more from her in sixteen years than it demanded from the rest of humanity over the course of their lives. In that moment, she looked so lost that he wanted nothing more than to take her by the hand and tell her that everything would turn out right. However, he had an obligation not to lie to her, and since he had not the slightest notion how this tale would end, he could not offer such reassurance. Even so, he still _wanted_ to do so, and he felt a pang that he could not give her that comfort. His thoughts came to an abrupt halt when Serena suddenly sat up a little straighter, and turned her head this way and that, as if searching for something.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I keep feeling this presence," she said. Seeing his eyes flash with alarm, she added quickly, "But it doesn't feel like a Shadowmaster…it just feels really powerful…and old. As in, forces of the universe and nature old. I felt it earlier, but it's stronger now. The strangest part? When I first started trying to find the source, I felt this swell of…it felt like _hope_."

Lyall thought for a moment, and silence settled over the two. Then, he asked, "You say that this presence was strong, and felt old, like it was as old as Earth itself?"

"Yes," Serena replied. She hoped that Lyall would be able to tell her what they were dealing with, and whether or not it was dangerous."

Lyall turned his eyes to the trees around them. "Hawthorn…" he breathed, "Of course." He turned back to his charge. "Tell me, what do you know about Merlin?"

It would be easier to ask her what she _didn't_ know about Merlin, Serena mused. Of course, in the Silver Millennium, she had known him as Emrys. Merlin was the Terran name for him, but those of the Moon Kingdom rightly knew his name to be Emrys, and the stories of his deeds had reached the stars and beyond. Leonardo had told her those stories when they were children, she remembered. No one could quite agree on exactly what had happened to him in the end…

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_**Silver Millennium, Moon Kingdom, Private Gardens**_

_ Seven-year-old Serenity giggled softly behind her hands as she peeked out from the bushes of the rose garden. She had once again managed to elude her arithmetic tutor, who now stood perplexed and panting from exertion in the center of the garden, searching in vain for his errant pupil. A part of her urged her to take pity on the poor man and go back to the Palace with him to resume her lesson. The rest of her, which hated anything to do with mathematics, quickly silenced that part, and so she remained where she was. The tutor—Adan was his name—soon realized that simply standing there would not induce her to show herself, and so began trying to coax her out of hiding._

_ "Come now, my little lady," he said, with a touch of pleading in his tone, "I do have to report your progress to your parents—their Majesties—surely you don't want me to give them bad news?"_

_ Serenity stubbornly remained in place, despite knowing that, if Adan gave her parents a bad report, she would receive a rather stern lecture—not just from her mother, but also her advisors, Luna and Artemis. Her father would come later, and ask her to be his little angel and try to focus on her lessons. She hated disappointing her parents, but she still felt reluctant to show herself just yet. Adan seemed to sense this, and tried a new tactic._

_ "Little Princess," he sighed, "I know that you dislike anything to do with numbers, but it __**is**__ important that you learn your lessons. If you're having trouble, you know that you can simply tell me, and I will help you. There's no need for you to keep playing this game. I know it's exhausting for both of us. Be the good girl that I know you are, and come out."_

_ Serenity sighed, and left her hiding place…mainly because she had to admit that Adan was right. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she had already had three lectures from her mother this month. She was simply taking pity on her poor, exhausted tutor. "Very well, Adan," she replied. "I'll be good…but just for today. It's a little hot out here."_

_ Adan nodded and took her by the hand to escort her back to the schoolroom. They exited the garden just as Leonardo entered. Catching sight of the two, the ten-year-old grinned, easily guessing what had happened. As he passed his little sister, he pressed a piece of paper into her free hand. Serenity, reading it, caught his eye with a smile, and nodded. Leonardo winked, and left Serenity to Adan and her multiplication tables._

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_ Later, her lessons done, Serenity hurried back out to the rose garden to meet her brother. She found him sitting on one of the stone benches, and she joined him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and smiled gently upon her. Serenity leaned against him, feeling her earlier worries wash away._

_ "What prompted today's escape?" he asked after a few moments of comfortable silence._

_ "He started mixing letters with numbers," she grumbled. "It's so confusing, and I think it should be illegal!"_

_ "Ah, so he's started you on pre-algebra? Mother will be pleased. You're further along than I was at your age." Seeing his sister's dubious face, he added, "It's true. I was still working on the higher multiplication tables. You know that he wouldn't start you on it if he didn't believe you were ready."_

_ "It's boring," she groaned. "I just don't understand the point!"_

_ "Well, believe it or not, people use it for a lot of things. For example, think about the feasts that we have for visiting envoys. The cooks use it to figure out how much food they need to cook in order to feed everyone. You can also use it to figure out how the distance between one place and another."_

_ Serenity accepted this explanation, but muttered, "It's still boring…" under her breath._

_ Leonardo chuckled. "Well, I guarantee that you won't find Emrys boring."_

_ Serenity's head shot up, and delight sparkled in her eyes. "You mean that the mystery of what happened to Emrys has been solved?"_

_ "To an extent…there is some dissent between the scholars about what happened. Shall I begin?"_

_ "Yes!"_

"_Well, then…during the twenty second year of Arthur's reign, Camelot was prosperous and thriving. The Saxons had successfully been driven out of the land, and Albion was safe under his reign. However, Emrys was getting old, and his powers were beginning to wane. It was midway through winter, and Arthur's hall was completely covered by snow. Emrys spent his days by the fire, seeing hints of the future dancing in the flames. Arthur, too, was showing signs of age, with his hair graying beneath the crown. But only Emrys could have seen what happened next._

"_One day, a portal opened in the hall, and out of it stepped a woman whose beauty rivaled that of Guinevere. Everyone in the hall stood, and many of Arthur's knights tried in vain to get her attention; she had eyes only for Emrys. Sitting by the fire, he knew in that moment what his fate must be. The woman called herself Nimue, and she had come to take the power of Emrys for herself. From that moment on, not one moment passed where they were not seen together. Nimue grew stronger by the day, and Emrys grew weaker. The people of Camelot, including Arthur himself, wondered if it was love or magic that brought the two together._

"_One day, Camelot woke to find that both Emrys and Nimue gone. Arthur's knights scoured the land and even crossed the borders trying to find them. Almost two years passed before a man came from the distant land of Lyonesse, and he alone knew what had taken place. Unfortunately, the truth of what he said is lost, so some say that this man had seen Emrys and Nimue walking together hand in hand under the shadow of hundreds of hawthorn trees. The two embraced, and when they parted, only Nimue was left, and one more tree stood in the forest. Others say that Nimue trapped him in a crystal cave, in an enchanted sleep which will only end when Arthur comes again. At the heart, though, the matter is the same; Emrys was not present to prevent the fall of Camelot, and thus the fall of Albion. Without Emrys to counsel Arthur, Mordred was permitted to poison Camelot, and split the Round Table in half when he revealed the affair between Queen Guinevere and Lancelot. Perhaps if fate had been kinder, Camelot would have remained standing."_

†_Ѣ__†__Ѣ__†__Ѣ__†_

Serena was called back to reality by a gentle shaking of her shoulder. She looked up to see Lyall watching her with a hint of concern on his face. "I'm fine," she assured him. "I was just remembering a few things. Yes, I've heard of Merlin, although I knew him as Emrys during the Silver Millennium. My brother told me stories about him when I was a child. He was either trapped in a crystal cave or in a hawthorn tree, according to the legend…right?"

Lyall nodded, and Serena realized with a start that this was to be her next task. "I'm supposed to free him," she whispered.

"Nimue was an agent of the Void," Lyall said with another nod. "Camelot was never supposed to fall due to the manipulations of someone like Mordred. If history had been permitted to flow as it should have, Arthur would have died a natural death, with no heirs, and Camelot would have fallen simply because no one else was strong enough to hold it…"

"Which is why I need to reverse what Nimue did," Serena finished for him. "Well then…" she stood and turned to face the tree from which Emrys' presence emanated. "Let's do this." She began to reach inside for her power, but was stopped by Lyall's gently gripping her wrist. "What?"

"Wait," he said calmly. "Your power reserves are severely depleted. It would be an exercise in futility to try to free him now. If you push yourself too hard, the effort could kill you." Seeing Serena's mutinous expression, he added, "I'm not saying to give up altogether. I'm just asking you to wait. Get some sleep and take a while to replenish your power. We can try it tomorrow."

Serena nodded, accepting that reasoning as sound and reasonable. She knew that it was in her best interest to listen to him. A yawn forced its way out of her, settling the matter. For a moment, Serena could have sworn that she saw a grin flash across Lyall's face before he quickly covered it with his usual stoic expression.

"Let's go find a place to set up camp for tonight," he suggested. "You need your sleep if you're going to tangle with forces like the ones that can turn a powerful wizard like Emrys into a tree."

AN: And another chapter is completed. I'm sorry to have kept all of you waiting.


	20. Chapter XIX: Old Magic

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Nineteen: Old Magic**

**AN: **Well…this story escalated quickly. I hope no one dies…that would be a tragedy. *Winks, runs from horde of angry readers*

Serena followed Lyall still deeper into the woods. Bright sunlight had begun to give way to twilight, and from the beneath the canopy, she caught glimpses of a sky streaked with gold, orange, purple, and soft rose. Soon, even those colors would fade into a dusky violet, which would soon become a navy blue. The blonde stifled a yawn, suddenly realizing exactly how long she'd been awake. Apparently, crystal-induced trances didn't count as rest. In her exhausted state, it seemed like an eternity passed before Lyall finally stopped walking.

The rows of trees had given way to a clearing, and she could finally get a clear picture of the sky above them. The sun had almost sunk below the horizon, and Serena had to stifle yet another yawn. Off to her left, she could hear Lyall setting up camp. She leaned against a tree, desperately trying to remain awake. She placed a hand to her mouth to cover up a large yawn.

Eventually, despite her best efforts, she felt her eyes drift close, and she no longer had the inclination or the willpower to open them again. Instead, she sank to the ground and tried to retain the last vestiges of awareness that remained to her. Strong arms lifted her from the grass and carried her to a much softer surface, and Lyall's voice, quiet and amused, sounded somewhere above her.

"Get some sleep, milady."

Serena was perfectly content to obey, knowing that her guardian would be watching over her. Dreams slowly took hold of her, and as she drifted off, she could have sworn that she heard the trees whispering. However, she had sunk too far into Morpheus' realm to care.

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_ The air around her clung to her, hot and heavy. As far as her eyes could see, mist and mist alone existed in the whole of the universe. A dense, thick thing, it blocked from her view anything that might help her identify her surroundings. It suffocated her, and for a terrifying moment, she feared she had lost the ability to breathe. The feeling fled as quickly as it had come, and out of nowhere, a sexless voice from all around her murmured, "Look into the mists, O Silver Maid, and thou shalt learn the fate of thy brother."_

_ She had no choice but to obey, and as she gazed into the mist, the gray depths swirled and changed to gleaming white and silver as a strange, wild music filled her ears. Foreign yet familiar words swirled around her in over eight harmonies, as elusive and ephemeral as each moment in Time, from the first to the last. This strange song carried her through the mists for what seemed like an age. Therefore, when the music came to a rather abrupt halt, it took her a moment to regain her bearings._

_ The silence did not last long, however, for no sooner had the song ended than the sounds of battle assaulted her ears. Metal clanged against metal. Cries of pain rent the air, and soon, the stench of spilled blood filled her nose. Overcome by confusion and no small amount of horror, she looked down, and immediately wished she had not done so._

_ It seemed as though she had passed through the gates of Hell itself. A war of epic proportions raged below her, and the bloodshed taking place would have put the death count of the Trojan War to shame. Soon enough, however, she spotted three painfully familiar faces, and her heart seemed to grow cold in her chest. Her eyes registered Lyall first, standing between a battalion of Shadowmasters and her father and brother. The three of them, separated from the rest of the Lunarian Army, stood alone against impossible odds. All too soon, she realized that she was seeing Luighseach—the Field of Fire, the battle that had been the catalyst for the destruction of the Silver Millennium. If she had not been ordered to watch the proceedings, she would have closed her eyes against the sight, unable to bear seeing the inevitable occur. However, she had been ordered to watch, and so she remained, sick with dread._

_ To Lyall's credit, even with such uneven odds, the Shadowmaster battalion had to work harder than should have been strictly necessary to get past him, and even then, it took one more fast and furious battle before they managed to disarm and strike down her father. More blood splashed across the battleground, and Serena felt bile rising fast in her throat at the sight, even while tears pooled in her eyes. Now, only her brother and Lyall remained, and the number of Shadowmasters had inexplicably increased. Her vision became cloudy, and she struggled to regain her focus, despite knowing that the events taking place before her could only grow worse from the moment onward._

_ Once again, her eyes focused themselves on Lyall…and his lips moved rapidly, as if in prayer. She leaned down, straining to hear what surely would be his last words, despite her current position above the battle. By some mysterious magic, his words carried to her, and a sob tore its way out of her as they registered. "Forgive me, Serenity…I've failed you…" he whispered. Hearing his apology, she could not help but weep. He still did what she'd asked of him, even when she'd all but thrown their friendship of many years to the winds because of her stubborn refusal to admit she needed help! And now, she could only hover and watch him die along with her brother._

_ As the Shadowmasters closed in, her heart seemed to grow ever colder in her chest, and the feeling of being crushed by an inconceivably heavy weight only increased as she saw the menace in the eyes of the enemy. Confusion soon coupled with overwhelming fear when the enemy made no move to attack. Judging from Lyall's tense posture and way Leonardo's jaw tightened, they, too, found it disturbing. Nothing could have prepared any of them for what happened next._

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_Mist surrounded her once again for a time. Once it cleared, her heart stuttered to a stop, briefly quieting before restarting, this time threatening to hammer its way out of her chest. Even though she had never laid eyes on It before, she still knew It for what It was immediately. It was not how she'd imagined It, even in her darkest dreams. 'Then again, the real thing never matches one's imaginings,' she thought, before forcing herself to look upon the Void once more._

_She supposed that she'd expected the Void to be almost like a vortex of sorts, slowly sucking all creation out of existence, or to be a pool of stagnant blackness somewhere in the center of the universe, with bits and pieces of lost worlds slowly crumbling into It. She'd been wrong. 'Dead wrong,' the sarcastic part of her whispered, and she winced internally at the poor choice of words._

_The Void lay __**underneath**__ the universe. It was not a stagnant, passive pool of blackness like so many fantasy novels would have stated, nor was it an icy realm with souls entrapped forever in Its cold embrace. It was pure nothingness, neither black nor white, dark or light. The coldness she'd expected never came for her. Instead, even in her dream-like state, she could feel It, probing, searching for the darkest corners of her heart, mind and soul, slithering over her and looking for some gap in her existence from which It could begin to feed. Serena felt sick at Its touch, and cringed away from It. _

_Lyall and Leonardo, held in place just over It by smirking Shadowmasters, had no such option. The blonde Princess of the Moon Kingdom trembled for her brother and friend. Leonardo had gone paler than she'd ever seen him, and she could see—all too clearly—the slow, creeping stillness of the Void beginning to eat away at his existence. Lyall, too, began to fade before her eyes, and the sight of both of the strongest men she'd ever known reduced to this broke her, to the point where no tears could come. The Void had a firm hold on both now, and she could see their existences blurring, to the point where soon, nothing would be left of them. _

_Hollowly, she looked on, bracing herself for the end, for her heart had crumbled to dust, leaving no room for her to feel anything. Just when Leonardo began to fade out of existence completely, Lyall not far behind him, a high pitched chiming rang out from above, and light poured from the heavens, sending every last Shadowmaster screeching angrily into the dark reaches of the universe, leaving their prisoners behind._

_Selene, riding her chariot on a path of moonbeams, arrived first, with her sister Eos, goddess of the dawn not far behind her. Following them in sunlight came Helios, the light from his bright chariot scorching any particularly intrepid Shadowmasters that remained. Selene hastily pulled Leonardo away from the Void, Eos doing the same for Lyall. Helios grimly surveyed the damage done. _

_The sun god turned to his two sisters, and in a voice heavy with sorrow, declared, "Long has it been since I've seen mortals sustain such damage at the hands of the Void. We may yet be too late."_

_Selene, her eyes bright with unshed tears, asked, "But, brother…they have lasted this long. Can we not at least __**try**__ to save them?" Almost unconsciously, her arms tightened around Leonardo as if to keep him from slipping away._

"_We can __**try,**__ certainly," Helios replied grimly. "The question is, will it make any difference?" His eyes fixed on Leonardo's still form for a moment, then flickered to that of Lyall. "It will be a miracle indeed if they survive such an ordeal." After a moment's pause, he decided, "We will bring them to our Citadel and reverse as much of the damage as we can. I fear it may not be enough."_

"_What of the girl?" Eos asked. "Serenity? Could she not help us in this?"_

"_She is young yet," Helios replied. "Her powers have not been awakened, and I would not force it; let her enjoy what time remains to her before her destiny reveals itself."_

_Eos nodded, followed by Selene, who appeared to be troubled at the idea that yet another one of her children would be pulled into this war._

"_Then it is decided."_

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Serena jerked awake, still gasping in horror at what she had just witnessed. Upon putting her hands to her face, she discovered that her tears had also become a reality. Hastily wiping them away so as not to alert Lyall to her distress, she reacquainted herself with her surroundings. Night still held dominion, it seemed, for the colorful sky to under which she'd fallen asleep had been replaced by a velvety black, upon which the stars twinkled like diamonds. No moon hung in the sky, and Serena missed it, despite knowing that it would return in three days' time. A fire burned steadily a few yards away, and she found that Lyall had placed her on a bedroll so that she could rest peacefully.

In her current state, it only made her feel worse, knowing what had befallen her loyal friend. Speaking of which—she glanced around—he was nowhere to be seen. Part of her felt relieved; he would never know of her current distress, and the other part worried that some evil had befallen him. Sitting up, she called upon her moderately replenished powers to clothe herself properly for this time period, shivering at the night's chill. Once she had completed that task, she lay back down and let her thoughts consume her again.

Lyall had remained loyal to her to the…well, she supposed 'end' would not be the correct choice of word, since her mother goddess and her siblings had clearly been able to save him. 'Most of him, anyway,' her mind whispered venomously. 'He's missing his memories and has no idea who he really is. In a way, he _did_ die. And what became of Leonardo? He was rescued as well, but have you seen him? No…you pushed him away, just like you did Lyall, and look what happened! He's probably dead. Two men you claimed to love _died_ because you _pushed them away…_'

This vitriolic internal diatribe would continue on for quite some time, though she could sense Lyall's presence moving nearby. Perhaps he was hunting? The intensity of her dream had made her hyperaware of everything around her. His presence, though he remained out of sight, comforted her. Even so, she was only too glad that he was not in her vicinity, as she could not bring herself to look at him. Not now. Instead, she gazed into the flames of the fire before her, and imagined that she could see her mother's kingdom crumbling to dust within them. In the fire's glow, she watched her mother, in a desperate attempt to save them all, use the last reserves of her energy to send the Senshi, Endymion, and her daughter to the future. Yet another death on her conscience…her silence had killed an entire kingdom.

Gradually, her eyes drifted to her hands. Such graceful, white things…and she wondered why they weren't dripping with blood. 'It seems the presence of my old friend cannot save me from my thoughts, after all,' she thought grimly. 'And rightly so.'

With these happy thoughts, she lay back down and sank into a troubled sleep, occupied by dark and confusing dreams.

††**§††§††§††§††§††**

When she awoke next, it was to Lyall's hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her into wakefulness. With a yawn, she asked, "What time is it?"

A small thread of amusement colored his voice as he replied, "A little before noon. The Kinmoku situation took more out of you than either of us realized."

She shrugged and got to her feet. "No one died. So I got a little tired afterwards…I don't regret it."

This time, Lyall chuckled. "I suspected as much." After a moment's pause, he added, "You're too stubborn to say otherwise."

"Anyone who's known me for a reasonable amount of time could have told you _that_," she replied with a cheeky grin. "I think it's one of my best traits."

At this, Lyall snorted and shook his head, lips turning up briefly into an exasperated grin. "How have your poor Senshi survived you for all this time? It's a wonder none of them have suffered some kind of psychotic break, with some of the things you pull."

Her grin growing wider at this pronouncement, Serena replied, "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure that they _haven't_…the Outers tend to fall just short of literally sitting on me to keep me from running off and doing reckless things, and," here she lowered her voice to a whisper, "I think Trista's grown a few gray hairs since I came along."

Lyall let out a short laugh. "I don't doubt it at all."

"Now, let's see about turning Merlin back into his warlock self. It can't possibly be a whole lot of fun being stuck as a tree. I'd probably die of boredom."

Here, Lyall held up a hand in the universal 'wait' gesture. "Breakfast first, Princess. Or should I say, brunch?"

Serena sighed, but obeyed.

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**Beneath the Hawthorn Tree, during the reign of the Once and Future King**

Serena stood before the hawthorn that had once been the greatest warlock that the world of magic had ever seen. Even now, she could feel his power pulsing beneath the bark as she laid a hand upon the trunk. The sensation of so much old magic at such a close proximity set her own power to humming in her veins as it sensed the presence of a sister magic. The powers of light and the powers of nature had both been given to the universe by Cosmos, but nature, with its two faces, in that it could bring both life and death, was a good deal older. The powers of light that resided in the Moon Princess were relatively new in comparison, but just as potent.

Carefully, Serena probed for the magical working that had created the tree in the first place, taking care to create shields so that she would not be taken by surprise by the third power. She could see the threads of light that symbolized her power gliding carefully over a mass of green, gold and brown roots and leaves that denoted Emrys' power. Her instincts from the Silver Millennium told her that it would be best to come prepared for hostility from the power that had trapped such a great being into a tree. As her power slammed into something cold, dark, and chillingly sharp, she was grateful for those instincts. Her shields protected her from the worst of the impact, but she could not stop herself from shuddering at the chill that raced down her spine, nor could she keep from jerking her hand from the trunk.

Lyall stepped forward. "Are you all right?"

She waved him off. "Yeah, I just…I didn't realize Nimue's magic was so _cold_…" Taking a deep breath, she rested her hand on the trunk again, strengthened her shields, and resumed her probing, this time spotting the problem.

Tangled throughout the mass of nature magic was something darker, the shadow magic that Chaos had created in response to Cosmos' creations of life and light. It surrounded the nature magic like a net, strands of black that spread over green, gold, and brown like an insidious poison that destroyed all that it touched. Revulsion surged through the golden-haired Moon Princess as she realized the full extent of the trap, and her determination to free Emrys from his prison, and she probed the dark strands of shadow magic, tracing the pattern of the net to a place that, with a small tug from her power, would come undone, along with the rest of the trap. After what seemed like hours of searching, she found her target, and pressed down upon it, strengthening her shields even more in anticipation of backlash from the opposing power.

Sure enough, the shadows fought back with a vengeance, bearing down on her shields to the point where she felt as if a great weight rested upon her chest, slowly crushing the air out of her lungs. The light inside her reacted, scorching away the worst of the shadows, and with a firm, mental tug, she ripped out the central knot of the net that Nimue had so painstakingly woven, and the shadows dissolved in white fire. Emrys' power flared outward, and her own light surged back into her, and she staggered backwards into Lyall, who steadied her and braced her against him as she gasped for breath.

"You're about to start hyperventilating," he murmured into her ear. "Deep, slow breaths…yes, that's it…keep it up…"

As she regained her balance and control over her breathing, her Champion eased his grip on her, and finally released her once he was certain that she could stand without his aid. Finally, she turned her eyes to where the tree had been. The first thought that flashed through her mind was, 'The stories had nothing on the reality.'

To the untrained eye, Emrys was an old man. Unusually healthy, but still, old enough that his hair and beard had gone gray, streaked with white. However, anyone who thought to look closer would see that he had the bearing of the great kings, and his eyes shone with the knowledge of ages. He held his head high, and despite his apparent age, he showed no signs of requiring a staff to lean upon, standing proudly without any kind of assistance. This would have been plenty to convince Serena that she was not looking upon any mortal man, but as attuned as she was to the powers around her, she felt his power draped around him like a cloak. Now that it was free of the shadows that Nimue had cast around it, it was even more potent, and more than enough to leave her standing in awe of him.

Emrys stepped forward, close enough that she could reach out and touch him, and Serena looked into his face. What she saw surprised her. His expression was one of both gratitude and something akin to the awe she felt in his presence. He reached out, took one of her hands, and kissed it.

"My lady," he said. "I am much obliged." He looked into her face. "For one so young, you possess a great deal of power…and your control is even more impressive."

Blushing slightly, the blonde replied, "I just followed my instincts…I was glad to help."

"I thought that I had finally gone mad when I felt your power last night…it has been so long since I've been in the presence of a light such as yours."

"And I've never felt a power as strong as yours in my life," she replied. "It's incredible."

"Forgive me…I've forgotten my manners. I should have introduced myself. I am most commonly known as Merlin, but others call me Emrys or Taliesin."

With a smile, Serena replied, "My people knew you as Emrys. My name is Serenity, but my friends call me Serena."

At the name Serenity, Emrys returned the smile. "You are of the White Moon Kingdom." At her surprised look, he continued, "Yes, those of us from Avalon are well acquainted with your people, and if I am not mistaken, you are the daughter of her greatest queen yet, Selenity. I am honored."

"The honor is mine." Lyall cleared his throat behind her, and Serena remembered why she'd been sent here in the first place. She gestured for Lyall to step forward, and, remembering to call him by the only name he knew, she introduced him. "This is my guard, Wolf."

Emrys' eyes flashed with compassion as he took in the sight, recognizing well the damages done by the Void. One look into Serena's eyes and a careful probing of the tenor of her thoughts told him all that he needed to know. "He is a worthy protector for you, my lady. The Shadowmasters are everywhere. With him by your side, you will be safe."

"What have they done in this timeline?"

"They've poisoned Mordred against Arthur. If something is not done soon, Camelot will fall, and the world will become a much darker place."

Serena stole a glance at Lyall, who gave her the smallest of nods. "How can I help?"

**AN: **Sorry for the long wait…school has started up again, and the workload is positively unholy.


	21. Chapter XX: In Arthur's Court, Part One

**Out of Time**

**Chapter Twenty: In Arthur's Court, Part 1**

**AN: **I have a feeling this is going to be a long chapter…

**Outskirts of Camelot, during the Reign of Arthur**

One thing that Serena quickly decided was that she absolutely _loathed_ teleportation of any kind. Emrys had insisted on transporting them to the outskirts of Camelot proper to spare them the walk. Serena strongly suspected that he simply wanted a chance to use his power again, having been trapped as a tree for so long. Well, she could hardly begrudge him that. She stole a glance at Lyall, noted his usual stoic expression, and envied him his composure. She found that most of her attention needed to be focused on staying upright. Teleportation with the Sailor Scouts had always been rough on her—it left her feeling nauseous for hours after the fact—but this had been a little bit worse. Her leaps through time were slightly more comfortable, but they most definitely were not fun by any stretch of the imagination. Therefore, she despised them even more than the average teleportation. In spite of her nausea, she managed to keep herself under control, and so got on relatively well. With Lyall a few steps behind her, she followed Emrys as they made their way to the castle at the heart of the city.

As they walked, the blonde Moon Princess let her mind wander to her old friend's predicament, as well as to the fate of her brother. Her dream had revealed much—indeed, she wished briefly that some of the details had been spared her—but she still knew next to nothing of what had become of Leonardo. Had the three lights of the sky been able to heal him, or had he been too far gone, and faded from existence? Furthermore, knowing that the damage done to Lyall had been a product of prolonged exposure to the Void—she had to close her eyes briefly at the memory of seeing that—could she do _anything_ to restore his memories, or was the damage irreversible? The thought froze her blood and made her heart twist painfully in her chest, and her legs threatened to collapse beneath her. Just as she felt them beginning to give way, a strong arm wrapped itself around her waist, and this time, she had no need to look up to realize that the one holding her was Lyall. "Thank you," she murmured, as they continued to move forward.

"Are you feeling all right?" he asked her, just as quietly. She could feel him frown slightly as he looked her over. "You're looking pale."

She forced a chuckle. "I'm _always_ pale," she replied with a cheeky grin, referencing her fair skin tone.

"Yes, but there's a difference between fair and pasty. You're on the pasty side right now. Again, are you feeling all right?"

'Drat. I'd forgotten that he has no sense of humor when it comes to my well-being,' she thought, irritated with herself for not remembering. Between him and Leonardo, she'd barely had a chance in the Silver Millennium to so much as sniffle before one of them dragged her to the healers'. She forced a smile and replied, "I'm just a little tired, and messing with shadow magic makes me feel really icky." That much was perfectly true; she hadn't had a good night's sleep since this time travelling business began, and touching Nimue's shadow magic so that she could free Emrys _did_ make her feel somewhat dirty.

In response, Lyall raised an eyebrow, and that in itself was so expressive that Serena knew that said eyebrow would not return to its original position until she told the truth. 'He always had a knack for seeing right through me,' she thought ruefully. "All right…the truth is that teleportation of any kind makes me a bit queasy,' she admitted. She took another step forward, and Lyall braced her as her legs once again threatened to give way beneath her.

"Has teleportation always affected you this way?" her knight inquired.

"I can normally walk under my own power," Serena replied, "But it's always tended to upset my stomach…sometimes for hours afterwards."

She felt Lyall's arm tighten slightly around her waist, and he was silent for a moment. "And your time travel?"

"Oddly, that _doesn't_ make me sick, but I don't particularly enjoy it. I just wish I could have some degree of control over it. It isn't exactly fun being pulled all over the time stream, never being sure if I'll end up in the middle of a battlefield or something." With Lyall's help, she continued to move forward, and they managed to develop a rhythm of sorts, each moving in time with the other.

"I take it you had such an experience?"

Serena grimaced at the memory. "It was only for a few seconds, but I'm pretty sure I scared the daylights out of several Union and Confederate soldiers before I disappeared again." She shuddered, "I could have been shot!"

Behind her, Lyall's eyes widened, and the hand that wasn't employed in supporting the blonde clenched into a fist. His stomach dropped, threatening to plummet through his feet to the depths of the earth. For a brief moment, his vocal chords refused to work. He quickly found his voice, however, and, shaking off his flash of horror, replied, "The important thing is that you were not." Even so, he could not deny that the revelation left him somewhat shaken, for reasons that he felt he ought to know, but could not recall.

He did not have time to dwell on these thoughts, for Emrys called out ahead of them; "We have arrived!" After ascertaining that his charge could walk under her own power, he released her and assumed a position just behind her. For her part, Serena felt a sense of loss when Lyall's arm left its position around her waist. Even so, she smiled at the wizard, and followed him through a small side gate—"My hidden entrance," explained Emrys—into Arthur's stronghold, knowing that Lyall was just behind her.

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'None of the tales did him justice,' thought Serena as she laid eyes upon Arthur. His hair was a bright copper, with hints of gray that revealed his true age, and his face, though not exceptionally handsome, had a certain 'something' that made it impossible to look away. The lines on his face were clearly from smiles and laughter rather than grim frowns, suggesting that Camelot's King possessed a sense of humor and a good nature. His eyes were a light brown that shone with compassion and intelligence. The King was alone, and, from the looks of it, reviewing one report or another.

Sensing the presence of another, Arthur lifted his head, and upon seeing Emrys, his face lit up with joy. "Merlin!" he exclaimed, rising from his seat and rushing towards the wizard. "You have returned!" The wizard chuckled as he accepted a bone-crushing hug.

"Yes, and it is thanks to this young lady that I was able to do so," he replied, gesturing for Serena to come forward. "I present to you Princess Serenity of the White Moon."

Suddenly feeling shy, the blonde did so, while being grateful that she was dressed appropriately for the time period in a silvery white dress complemented by a midnight blue cloak. Remembering her manners, she also smiled—which wasn't hard—and swept her best curtsy.

Arthur took her hand and pressed it to his lips. "I am much obliged, my lady. You have my thanks, both for retrieving Camelot's greatest protector, and my dearest friend."

"It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty," she replied.

Arthur chuckled, "There is no need to be so formal! In private venues such as this, simply 'Arthur' will do."

"Very well, then…it's a pleasure to meet you…Arthur." Remembering Wolf's presence, she added, "And this is my guard, Wolf." Wolf gave a small bow in recognition. Catching Emrys' eye, she said, "We have much to discuss."

Arthur's face turned serious. "Indeed, we do." He pulled up a chair for her, while Emrys and Wolf pulled up their own. "Merlin, what exactly happened? I'm aware that Nimue enchanted you, but for what purpose?"

Merlin's face darkened as he replied, "She was an agent of an ancient, evil race known as the Shadowmasters, Arthur. They are determined to destroy every glimmer of light in the universe, and I'm sorry to say that they've finally found a way to do so." Inclining his head in the blonde's direction, he added: "Serenity tells me that they've awakened the Void, thus placing all of us in danger."

"The Void's awoken every so often since the universe was born," Serena added. "But usually, the gods are able to lull It back to sleep. This time, however, It is determined to eat away at the foundations, beginning with Time, until all of creation has collapsed, and then, just like in the beginning, there will be only nothingness."

Arthur had grown rather pale at this point, so Serena hastily continued; "However, my people are descended from the one who created the foundations, Cosmos, and so it falls to me to prevent this from happening. I am immune to whatever the Void might do to Time, and am thus able to make repairs when needed. For example, Camelot is supposed to be a beacon of light for years yet; the partnership between you and Emrys, or Merlin, if you prefer, is a large part of this. The Shadowmasters knew that losing him would throw you off balance, and so they sent Nimue to dispose of him. Fortunately, my power connects to all parts of the universe, and so they pull me to any place in Time where the Shadowmasters or the Void have been active. Hence, they sensed what happened to Merlin, and so I was able to reverse some of the damage to this timeline. However, the Shadowmasters are clever; they know that trying to trap someone so powerful has plenty of room for error, so they've also placed another agent to sow discord amongst your knights."

Face grim, Arthur inquired, "Who?"

Emrys replied, equally grimly, "Mordred. He has been poisoned against you, Arthur, and so the Shadowmasters have placed him at the heart of Camelot, the better to cripple her."

"_Mordred?_ Surely not!"

"I'm afraid it is true, Arthur," Serena said quietly. "In my timeline, the story of Camelot's fall has been told and retold for centuries. Always, the name 'Mordred' is linked to the events that led to the end."

"What are you saying?" Arthur whispered.

"What am saying is that your timeline is not mine…my powers simply brought me here to save Camelot," she explained gently. "For me, the story of Camelot has ended. But it does not need to end because of someone like Mordred."

Arthur fell silent. Emrys became thoughtful. Serena dared to glance at Lyall across the table, and saw that he had become lost in thought as well. His ocean blue eyes held a troubled expression, and her heart clenched at the sight. For the first time, she also caught sight of a thin flash of silver across his right cheek…one that hadn't been there during the Silver Millennium. Thinking back, she recalled some of the injuries he and her beloved older brother had received before being handed to the Void, and she suddenly felt sick. Once again, she wished she could call her centuries-old words back.

Finally, Arthur said, "We cannot let Mordred continue…he _must_ be stopped." He considered the possibilities. "I cannot arrest him now, because outwardly, he has done nothing wrong, and we don't know what his plans are."

"Yes," Serena agreed. "The present situation calls for discretion. Furthermore, if he were to be arrested right this moment, the Shadowmasters would know that we know that they're planning something. In which case, our situation could only worsen from there."

"What we need to do," said Lyall, thinking aloud, "Is have someone investigate Mordred and track his movements, and, if possible, hear his plan from his own lips before he realizes that something is amiss."

"But where would we find such a person?" Serena wondered. "They would, of course, need to know what's going on, and be able to keep their head in the face of a crisis. It would be best if they were not right in the thick of the situation, so as not to impair their judgment." She began to pace. "In addition, they had best be a good liar, in case Mordred or his…allies…begin to ask questions."

Emrys mused, "It would alert the Shadowmasters if I attempted to do such a thing; too many questions would be raised. I feel that it would be wise for me to stay out of sight for now, to make our task easier." Turning to Arthur: "And you, Arthur, are the King…you are needed here."

Arthur sighed, "I feel that, the way things stand now, none of the knights should be involved. It is all too clear that Mordred's sly whispers have reached all their ears. If any of them were to hear of his treachery, I shudder to imagine the consequences."

"In which case, it ought to be someone in this room," Serena stated calmly. "Now, this is a riddle…we've already agreed that too many questions would be asked should either you or Merlin look for answers, yet by now I'm sure that the Shadowmasters have gotten a good glimpse of myself and Wolf…" she paused mid-thought, and grinned. "Gentlemen, I think I have the answer."

"I know that expression," Lyall sighed. "Why do I have a feeling that I'm not going to like this plan?" As if already experiencing a headache, one hand began massaging his right temple.

Choosing not to respond to her guard's comment, Serena continued, "The disguise is the thing…" With a flick of her wrist, flowing golden hair became a waist-length mantle of loose, sable brown curls, and cerulean blue eyes darkened to a light brown. Her shimmering silvery-white dress became emerald green velvet with gold accents, and her cheekbones became somewhat more pronounced as her roses-and-cream complexion darkened to olive. Her lips became just a bit fuller, and her slender form was replaced by curves that would have made Aphrodite weep with envy.

The three men gaped at her for a moment, startled by the dramatic change in her appearance. The disguised Moon Princess had to swallow a giggle as she watched her meaning dawn on them.

"I have to admit, if I hadn't seen the change take place, I would never recognize you," Lyall managed. "How long can you maintain this illusion?"

"It didn't take much effort to create, so as long as I don't do any major workings, it ought to last for as long as I need it."

Warming to the idea, Merlin added, "In order to explain your presence, we'll just tell the court that you're Arthur's distant cousin."

Arthur nodded in agreement. "I do believe that this just might work."

"And, just in case the name 'Serenity' is too large a risk, most of my friends call me Serena. Most will agree that when changing one's identity, it's best to assume an alias that resembles your original name as closely as possible."

"My cousin Serena…" Arthur said aloud. "Yes, that would work well."


End file.
